Noblesse Oblige
by Tiptory
Summary: In order to complete her Magister Magi license, Allister must serve a human for 1 year as their magical advisor. What luck, or misfortune that her new Noblesse would be Ciel Phantomhive, and her utter mistake of becoming ensnared by his sly silver tongued butler. By day she struggles to serve Ciel, by night Sebastian pushes the young witch to the limit of her raison.
1. Board Set

Chapter 1: Set Board

The young boy's eyes continued to stare at the letter on the silver platter that his butler only moments ago had brought to him. He had only just wrapped up his previous task and was just winding down so he can focus on his management of Funtom; perhaps look through the many proposals for new products. Sales were continuing on its usual high, however the masses always have a craving for new and innovative things. If he were to maintain his position at the top toy and confectionary manufacture he would need to release a new line soon. How was he to do that with homosexual reapers, opium dealers, and the never-ending masses of hire thugs assaulting his manor on a daily basis? And now another request, sometimes he wondered how his predecessor managed this position _without_ a demon butler.

The young Earl was fiercely loyal especially with his role as the Queens Guard Dog, but surly she knows that even a guard dog needs time to rest?

"What is it now?" the Earl sighed. His loyal demon butler offered one of his playful grins as he set the platter down on his master's desk. "It seems you have another request of the Queen, and from the looks of the messenger, it seems to be rather urgent."

"It appears even we are exempt from breaks" he quipped as he lazily reached for the letter. "Tired are we? Young Master might I remind you of your duty as the Queens Watch Dog? To serve and protect the Queen and this country, it is a tireless job and it is your responsibility as the Head of Phantomhive."

Ciel shot a pointed glare at the demon. "I am well aware of my duties and responsibilities" He glanced down at the letter, noting the familiar seal of the Queen before proceeding to open it. "I was just commenting on how little time has passed since the last case is all" After carefully breaking the wax seal, Ciel proceeded to read its contents.

As the Earl read the letter, his butler watched as his master's brows tensed in frustration, then furrow in confusion. Seeing his Masters bewilderment Sebastian quirked his own brow in interest, it was a different reaction than he was used to seeing from his master when receiving a new case from the Queen. Usually he was dismissive and would only show interest if it were to pique is interest. Confusion was new.

"Might I ask my Lord, what is the Queens request?" The Earl let out a frustrated sigh before responding. "It would appear that the Queen would like us to host a foreign dignitary for a year whilst they finish their studies here."

"A dignitary? From where?"

"I am not sure. The Queen did not mention where, stating she did not want the dignitary's identity to be compromised. She has given us the date and time when their train shall be arriving in London" he replied whilst handing the letter off for his butler to review.

Sebastian skimmed through the message so as to mark down the date. "So we are to fetch a…one Allister L. Hamilton at Kings Cross Station on March the nineteenth at 1o'clock past mid-day?"

"Yes. That is what the Queen has instructed" The Earl let out a frustrated exhale. It was already a task to keep his ever-bumbling servants in line, and out of the fray with the more supernatural aspect to his job, but now he had to worry for some spoiled noble brat that has probably never been away from their chaperone for more than five minutes to use the lavatory. Honestly, he was the Queens _watchdog _not _babysitter_. The comparison brought up memories of when he first met that indignant spoiled brat Prince Soma and how much he tested his patients in only a matter of minutes. He did not know if he could put up with that for a whole _year!_

"Young Master, you are aware that this date is tomorrow correct?"

He nodded. "Yes, I suppose that is why it was such an urgent request." Rising from his chair, the Earl strode over to face the window overlooking the fountain in the front garden. He needed to mentally prepare himself. He was used to entertaining outsiders at his manor for short periods of time, but never a whole year. He was one to always keep his affairs private, but perhaps there is more to this than what the Queen is telling him.

Perhaps she has her doubts in his ability, or loyalty and this dignitary is to monitor him, the letter just a formality of shrouded intentions. Whatever the case, preparations had to be made. Even if he were an assassin ordered to end his life at the behest of the Queen, he would make sure to offer the famous Phantomhive hospitality to them.

"Sebastian, prepare the finest guest room and begin preparations for our guest's arrival at once."

The butler folded his right hand over his heart as he bowed, a small smirk danced across his lips. "Yes my Lord". Rising from his bow, he turned to leave the study. Just as he was opening the door to exit his Master quipped up. "Also, do inform the rest of the staff and have them help in the preparations as well"

A brief flash of annoyance crossed the usually pristine features of his face at the mention of those three headaches he had to call servants, but just as quickly as it had came, it was gone. Surly this was his Masters revenge for lecturing him earlier. "But of course my Lord." He called behind him as he closed the door. Reaching into his breast pocket he pulled out his silver pocket watch to check the time. It was half past two, meaning the staff was busy having their lunch in the kitchen. Good, better to tell them all at once than to hunt each one down individually.

Turning to his right he began to quickly make his way from the east wing to the west wing where the kitchen was. All the while pondering what the Young Master was planning and what this could mean for him. After all, this guest would be a fixture at the estate for the next year. When it was just the young master and staff, he was able to take more liberties in using his _gifts_, the staff were so thick, they never would even think that perhaps there was more to him than being one hell of a butler.

This guest will indeed complicate matters.

~/*\~

Baldroy, Mey-Rin, Tanaka, Snake, and Finnian sat in the servant's kitchen, eating the lunch left for them by Sebastian. Today it was a thinly sliced ham marinated in light fruity syrup and herbs, with fresh fruit and cabbage stew.

"My these strawberries are sure scrumptious, they are" Mey-Rin gushed as she plopped another of the juicy red berries in her mouth. The gardener nodded in agreement. "Yes it was nice of Mr. Sebastian to give us the fruits left over from the young masters lunch. He's always making spectacular meals." Tanaka sat quietly sipping on his green tea, oblivious to everyone around him.

"Yeah, well I can cook just as good as that bloody show-pony. I just don't waste my time on silly 'presentation'" Huffed the cook as he crossed his arms over his chest turning his head upwards. "If ya ask me, I give my food real _life_ to em, right"

The young gardener turned to the older male in confusion. "But every time you try to give your cooking life, the kitchen ends on fire, and you end up with your hair all natty and covered in soot."

"Yeah! Well uhh…I just haven't found the perfect amount of gunpowder I need."

"Less gunpowder and more mice would help. Says Keats" The footman quipped as he fed his snakes some of the meat.

"Bahh everyone's a critic now?" He shrugged. "It doesn't matter, I could cook circles around Sebastian any time! I just let him think he's the master chef, but you watch! One day I'll reveal my true talents, then we'll see who's the best!"

"I am always up for a challenge to sharpen my culinary skills" Baldroy felt a tingling chill race up his spine. The kind of chill when you feel that Death himself is standing behind you. Baldroy hesitated, he knew who it was that spoke, very obvious, but a small part of him hoped that perhaps God was on his side and would spare him the wrath that is his assuredly.

Tacking in a deep breath, the chef decided to face the music, and turned to meet the butler. "Well I uh…was not…expecting you Sebastian" He nervously tried to laugh it off, hoping the butler would have mercy on him.

Sensing the chef was aware of his mistake and was sure he would learn to not repeat it; the butler reasoned that just once he would let his bravado go unpunished.

_For now._

Clearing his throat to get the others attention. "Attention, everyone. We are to be hosting an important dignitary for the next year starting tomorrow. As servants of the Phantomhive household we are to offer this guest the utmost hospitality befitting of the Queen herself."

The faces of the staff lit up. "Ohh how exciting, yes it is" the maid began to think of various handsome men that it could be. "I wonder if they have mice, says Wordsworth," the snake keeper murmured.

"Wow a dignitary? For a whole year? Amazing!" Exclaimed the naïve gardener as Tanaka started to doze in his chair.

"A whole year, talk about a long term guest. It's gonna be a bit of a hassle to have another person besides the young master to look after". For once the butler found himself agreeing with the cook. "Yes, but none the less we are to show him the legendary Phantomhive hospitality."

He turned his attention to each of them as he issued their tasks. "Mey-Rin I want you to clean and make up the large guestroom in the east wing, and make sure it is spotless, and has fresh sheets."

"Of-of course mister Sebastian. I'll do my best, yes I will."

"Finny." The gardener straightened up at the mention of his name. "Yes sir?" "I want you to rake the manor's front lawns, and pick vegetables to be used in tomorrows feast in honor of our guest." The gardener's eyes lit up. "Yes, right!"

The butler then turned to the white haired young man. "Snake, your task is to clean and polish the carriage. Make sure that it has a mirror shine, after all this will be the first thing that our honored guest will see, and a first impression is crucial if we are to gain their favor."

The snake charmer silently nodded. "It will be as shiny as a fresh egg, says Emily". Everyone rushed off to begin his or her respective duties with the exception of Bard and Tanaka, the latter of whom was deeply asleep. The butler thought it best to save the chef for last, it was always better that way. "As for you Baldroy…" The cook stiffened as he heard the tone in the butler's voice. He should have known that he would have not been let off the hook with out a catch. "Eh-he-he, me?" He gulped.

The butler narrowed his eyes an ominous grin plaster itself across his lips. Yes now he will savor this moment. Though demons could only be sated with the souls of humans, fear offered a temporary source of food and energy. Although it was nowhere near as delectable as a proper soul, fear was always good for a small minute snack to replenish energy.

And the chef would be a passable snack, not the best, but he would do.

"You are to scrub and clean the entire scullery. It's been overdue for a good cleaning" He handed the cook a bucket and the smallest scrub brush he could find, no bigger than a shoe brush. "You are to use this brush, and only this brush to clean it. Am I clear?"

"Bu-but that brush, it's too small. It would take all day if not longer to clean the whole scullery with it!"

The butler turned to leave but not before giving the cook a few words to part with. "Then I suggest you get started…that is if you wish to sleep tonight~"

~/*\~

The day's start had been a bit taxing to say the least. All the servants had stayed up late to finish preparing the manor, cleaning, dusting, and laundry. Not to mention making preparations for the days feast. However as per usual, Sebastian found that his staff was rarely ever helpful unless closely supervised, and they had ended up causing him more trouble than had he done all the tasks himself.

Conversely, he was able to fix these blunders before he had to wake the young master. It was on his way to do just that, that he felt a presence at the front entrance to the manor. Turning on his heel, he silently shifted through the shadows the dawn light had made in the halls as he made his way to the intruder. He stood before the service door and opened it to find a young man paused in mid knock.

From the way he was dressed he immediately deduced he was a servant from another household. "Good morning sir, what business do you have here at this hour?"

The servant was still in a state of minor shock from the abrupt presence of the butler before collecting himself to respond. "I-I am a messenger from the distinguished Midford household." He shakily reached into his breast pocket to produce a letter and bowed slightly as he presented the envelope to the butler.

Sebastian accepted the letter wordlessly and turned it over to see that the wax seal did indeed carry the Midford family crest. 'A message, this early' the butler wondered. "Might I ask its contents?"

"I believe the Lady Elizabeth would like to come tonight to dine with her betrothed"

Sebastian quirked his brow. "So it would seem. I will be sure as a Phantomhive butler, that my Lord receives this immediately"

He bid the messenger a good day and returned to his task at hand, waking his master all the while curious to what this day could hold~.

~/*\~

"Elizabeth is coming as well?" The earl let out a frustrated sigh. "This day could not get any worse"

Sebastian busied himself with doing up the buttons on his young masters shirt as he playfully teased him a bit. "My lord, she is your betrothed. It is your duty to entertain her when she requests, for if you can't entertain her at dinner how are you to entertain her afterwards" His voice full of mirth. And it was worth it to see his master's face turn a lovely shade of cherry red.

"Sh-sh-shut up and finish dressing me!" His anger flared slightly when he heard the butlers faint chuckling. "It would seem my lord has misconstrued my words

, I was referring to dessert and dancing since that is what customarily comes after dinner".

Ciel's cheeks still retained a dusty pink coloring. "Wha-what else could-" The butler cut him off. "Don't worry my lord, it is only natural to assume such. You are at _that age~_ "

"And I presume you are also at that age, still teasing me, like a child would" He retorted with a smart smirk. Annoyance briefly flashed across the demons face. He could tell; the slight pursing of the lips, that small line that formed when he furrowed his brows.

And nothing made the earl happier than to see that expression, however brief, it still was a sign that he managed to get to him. Not many things were able to personally affect the demon, so if he was able to wound the demons ego, it would mean that a human had still manage to wound him, not physically, but wounding a demon's ego, is just as good. "Since you're in such a divulging mood, care to tell me what you have found out about this Allister L. Hamilton?"

The butler paused momentarily while making his master tea. "I see you are as observant as always, young master. But yes, seeing as this would be a long term guest, naturally I did some digging for information, however information was scarce about him, which was strange." He said while handing his master his cup of tea.

"Strange?" the boy's interest was piqued.

"For a dignitary to be so obscure is odd. To reach such a status one must be relatively well known, and those in the spotlight tend to have very few secrets, however this Allister has almost no existence in this world. No articles, mention him or anything he's done. And he is not listed on any of the registries in all of Europe."

"So this Allister is even elusive to a demon?" He smirked. "Now that is interesting."

"There was one thing." The butler started. The boy's eye flicked back to him, as he sipped his tea. "Whoever this Allister is, he is a recent acquaintance of the Queen, and he is someone the Queen places the utmost of her trust in, though considering the nature of the duties of the Phantomhive family; he may also somehow be connected to the criminal underworld."

"Whatever the case, we have to play it safe till we know who exactly we are playing host to. Speaking of which, we should prepare to leave if we are to make it to London before his train arrives"

"Right away, my lord"

"Also be sure that the others are ready to come along as well."

The butler paused, put off at the notion of bringing them along. "You wish for all the servants to come along?"

His young master sighed. "I'd imagine that this guest would bring a lot of luggage with him for the duration of his stay, so we will need another carriage to carry it. Also, its best to bring them along if we are to come back to the manor intact"

"Of course, my lord"

~/*\~

The train had been quiet for the most part. When walking the aisles that divided the compartments one could hear the faint murmur of conversation, or card games. People quietly napping, reading, or just staring out the window at the passing English countryside. It was a typical setting for a first class train car on its way to central London. However to the occupants of compartment nine, it was an exciting and new experience.

They were not used to trains that only ran on the ground.

No, where they were from, trains could soar through the sky, but not many people would ride them. Most would rather ride their brooms, or use way gates. To these people, humans were such interesting yet strange beings.

"We've been on this train for hours" sighed one.

"I know Minerva, but we have to stay on it. Humans would find it strange if we just flew around, on cleaning implements" Replied the other occupant.

Minerva clicked her tongue. Honestly she could not stand the antiquated ways humans lived. They were filthy, barbaric, ungrateful beings that believed themselves the most intelligent and powerful. It only irritated her more that she was to be the 'magister magi' to one of them. A witch of her standing should not have to do this. These were tasks that those of the lower nobility should do.

Sighing she brought her hand to brush away a stray white strand of hair. She was an Endley; one of the most esteemed houses in all of Magaea, one of the last pure houses, her white hair a testament to that. As such a high ranking noble she was of course one of the select few chosen witches and wizards to act as ambassadors to the human realm.

It had almost been three centuries since the last attempt to establish relations with the human realm, the last obviously ending in failure. Humans were deemed unready for cohabitation with witches, and magic, so restrictive access was only granted for the purposes of observation only.

However, with the rise in Shade activity, and increase of instances of Elder-shades appearing in the human realm, causing a minor disruption between realms. Queen Larise requested a small group of witches in training to become magister level witches to do their service training in the human realm with host families' chosen by various human leaders. During their stay they are contractually obligated to aid the head of their host family in any endeavor, provided it is within the boundaries of witching law.

So naturally the Queen would want to send only the most exemplar of witches. While honored, it still annoyed the young witch that not only did she have to serve some human, she was also partnered with a witch of such low standing.

Her gray eyes glanced back to her partner in question. Allister was from a formerly well respected family, the Hamilton's were known for being powerful knights that served the royal family for centuries, earning them the title 'chevalier' a title that only the Hamilton's held. But that still did not change the recent scandal that plagued the house, nor did it change the fact that Allister Hamilton was such a goody two shoes.

Minerva was shaken from her ruminations when she realized that her familiar was trying to gain her attention. "Your tea is going to get cold if you don't drink it" Claire was standing before her, her green eye starring at her, the other covered by a black eye patch, in her hands a tea pot with more hot tea. Her twin, Claes, sat next to her holding a tray of cookies and biscuits.

~/*\~

"Could I have some more tea Claire?" Allister piped up. She was excited, so excited that she almost spilled her tea as the familiar refilled her cup. She had always wanted to visit the human realm. They were such interesting beings! She often wondered how one could live life without magic; to her it's unimaginable. But to humans, that's the only life they knew. Magic was just something of make-believe.

Everything was so new to her, the dresses they wore, the food, but most of all the contraptions. Back in Magaea, everything ran on magic, here they ran on something else, she didn't know what, but it still fascinated her. She was even more curious about who she was to be in service to for the next year. While Minerva only hoped her host was a noble of equal standing, Allister honestly didn't care, as long as they were nice, then she wouldn't mind serving even the poorest of peasants.

She finished her tea, setting her cup back onto the small table that was between her and Minerva, and went back to absentmindedly stroking her familiar, Gisello as he napped in her lap. She especially paid attention to the black splotch of fur on the crown of his head that doted his otherwise pristine white coat. Gisello was not used to the lurching motion of the train and decided to remain in his animal form and sleep off his motion sickness. She leaned back in her seat and watched the countryside roll by, the occasional small hut or cottage passing them by.

She was curious about her host, the Earl Ciel Phantomhive. His name sounded like a very distinguished name. It made her think of a tall handsome man that was a philanthropist, or a praised noble. It was something about his name that made her see nothing but greatness; he was named after the heavens. Perhaps his eyes were so clear and blue it was like staring into the sky on the clearest of days. And Phantomhive, it sounded mysterious but so…different. It definitely stood out.

The blond was shaken from her daydreams when she felt something hit her square on the forehead. Looking down at the offending projectile she realized it was just a cookie.

"Finally. I was getting tired of that disgusting wistful look on your face." Minerva spat, her gaze focused on the window. In front of her was her plate that held three cookies; four counting the one she casually threw at the blonde.

"Minerva! Why did you do that? And what look?" The witch smirked, drawing her gray eyes to lock with the blonde's violet ones. "That look…the look of a young girl in the arms of an older gentleman as he whispers in her ear how he is to make her into a woman~"

The blondes face immediately turned beet red, obviously flustered. Her hands flew up to cover her face, trying to calm her nervous shaking. "I-I- wa-wasn't thinking of that!" She stuttered out quickly along with a string of excuses.

The younger witch quietly chuckled to herself. Despite the blonde being older, Minerva figured out rather quickly how to fluster the sword mage. Any mention of matters of the bedroom would send the poor girl into a fit of mortification; and oh how she loved exploiting it.

The blond had managed to calm herself; her cheeks still red but otherwise recovered. "I-I was just wondering what my host is going to be like"

"You mean the Earl of Phantomhive? Yeah I heard some scant details about him from the queens aid" Allis' eyes immediately perked up. "Really!? What did you hear?!"

The younger witch sighed as she went back to her earlier activity of idly stirring her lukewarm tea with her spoon, starring at her reflection in the tea. "All I know is that he owns a confections and toy company that is quite popular."

"Toys? And sweets?" Allis felt her heart swell up in her chest, her body radiating happiness from her very core. "He must really care for children! That is so noble of him to dedicate his wealth to making children smile. Such a modest thing to dedicate ones self to"

Minerva clicked her tongue. "He's probably some old pedophile that uses the lure of toys and candy to acquire chamber boys. How dreadfully tragic."

Allis blanched. "Pe-pe-pedophile?" A sexual deviant? Was he really that type of person? Was Ciel Phantomhive a gentleman that preyed upon the bodies of young boys and girls for his lust-ridden pursuits? The blond made another frightening realization.

Would she be another of his victims? She was obviously too old for toys and candy, but she was only seventeen, still a virgin. Minerva was always telling her about how older men always preferred to bed younger women, especially virgins. Logic and manners were all out of mind if a man found himself alone with a nubile girl.

Was the earl Phantomhive like those men? Was he plotting his conquest of her at this very moment?

"Tha-that. There is no way that could be true!"

"Oh? And what other reason pray tell would a grown man make toys and candies for little kiddies if he was not interested in getting into their lil knickers?" Minerva's sly grin grew in proportion to Allis' flurry. "Yes. I bet he will have you dress up and call him 'daddy' as he bends you over and-"

"Shut up!" Allis chanted over and over as she furiously shook her head, pulling at her blond hair while trying to erase all the mental images Minerva's words were stirring up within her, but the witch continued on with a string of profane and lewd acts that her host was planning, gleefully enjoying the reaction from the older witch.

Through out the whole exchange, the twin familiars, Claire and Claes quietly sat on either side of their master, watching her continue terrorize the other witch. Claes busied herself with an encyclopedia on the customs and practices in the human realm, Europe edition. She felt it would be best to study up on humans to better serve her master in this strange realm. Claire on the other hand was busy tuning out the exchange all together, her listening phones aiding in blocking out all noise. She was leaning against the armrest, her arm supporting hear head as she gazed out the window, her uncovered green eye listlessly following the passing trees.

Claes exhaled. Her twin was always like this. On the battlefield she was a genius fighter, worthy of being a familiar to an Endley; however off it she was a person of few words and even fewer actions. Unless ordered to, she would not intervene, with a few choice exceptions.

Such as now.

Without even looking over to the two witches she cut into their quarrel. "Miss, I believe we are pulling into the station." Minerva quickly turned her head to the twin and snapped back "So?" Her gaze lingered on the window, watching the train edge its way to the stopping platform, before meeting her mistress' eyes. "Would you not want to freshen up before you are to meet Earl Trancy?"

It was moments like this that made Minerva want nothing more than to slap the face of her unruly familiar, however she did have a point.

"Claes!" The familiar quickly scrambled with a quick but soft 'yes ma'am' and got to work brushing away any stray locks of white hair and fixing them into Minerva's signature buns, one on either side of her head with a braid wrapped around each one, fastened with a skull hair pins and leaving her fringe to fall just between her eyes. Rummaging around in her satchel, Claes produced a small mirror and presented it to her mistress to inspect her handiwork.

Minerva examined her hair, tilting her head, inspecting from every angle. She deemed the effort satisfactory however… "The hair looks right, but I want to change dresses"

"Minerva, you aren't really going to change now? We've just arrived at the station, and you look fine in what you're wearing." Allis always admired the outfits Minerva wore. Her older sister did design them, and were a big hit in Magaea. Designs from Desmé Endley's label 'Brintt' were always in vogue. Sleek and streamlined, but elegant; Minerva always wore clothing from the custom 'Nyx' line that consisted of clothing in varying shades of black and white.

Today's outfit was no exception. A white high neck sleeveless blouse adorned with a black ascot secured with a skull brooch. A custom designed double-breasted corset that had long flowing coat tails that just barely brushed the floor, underneath she wore a dark gray pleated skirt that met her legs mid thigh. Her legs were covered in black opaque tights that went up a little past her knees, exposing an inch or two of her pale skin. Black heels and a black bolero completed the look.

Allis looked down at her own clothes. They were nowhere near as elegant as her counterparts. Perhaps she should have dressed up more? She did not really dress up often, or at all. She was a chevalier after all, so she spent most of her time off on missions. Unlike Minerva, she did not have much for money; working at a church run orphanage did tend to leave ones pockets bare.

Running her fingers along the hem of her sleeve, a warm smile gracing her lips. When she was preparing to leave, the orphanage director, Lien and all the children presented her with a new set of clothes. She knew it must have been very difficult, saving all that money in secret. They were already strapped for money. Taking care of nine children was not easy or cheap, but they managed. Allis also did her part to help; taking odd jobs in town, or taking marks for the local pubs to earn some coin.

She felt foolish for thinking her clothes were not good enough. These were the clothes her dearest family had gotten for her. And they were beautiful. She wore mauve under bust tailed bodice. The tails of the bodice were designed to look like butterfly wings with lilac piping and lace for the scales. Underneath she wore a simple white blouse that ruffled around her bust.

Ordinarily she would have worn skirt befitting a proper lady, but being a chevalier, she needed to be able to move freely and a long dress with panniers would be too cumbersome to maneuver in in the heat of battle. Lien had paid the tailor extra to design special shorts that hid under a short skirt, allowing her to wear her full leg armor and grieves. She opted to not wear her arm armor and instead wore a matching mauve bolero, Allis's crest of a butterfly and sword on the back. A black lace hat with a long mauve tassel and a matching black cape finished the outfit off nicely.

Yes these clothes were perfect.

As the train finished pulling into the station, Gisello stirred, sensing the train had stopped he decided now would be the best time to wake up. He meowed loudly to grab his master's attention. "Mmmrrrh…are we there?" he murmured. Allis gave him a quick pat on the head and scratched his ears in the usual spot he liked. "Yes we're here."

"About bloody time." Spat Minerva.

He was about to shift into his human form when an attendant came to inform them that the train has arrived at the terminus, Kings Cross Station, and they should prepare to disembark. After the attendant left to inform the other compartments, the aisles began to fill with people gathering their carry-ons and filing to the exits on either end. Deciding it would be best for now to stay in this form, Gisello jumped up on Allis' shoulder, curling his tail to rest on her other shoulder. "We should leave, our hosts will be waiting"

Claes nodded in agreement with the other familiar. She fished a pocket watch from her breast pocket to check the time. "Yes. Our hosts should be waiting for us on the platform."

"If they are punctual, that is." Added Minerva.

Claes and Claire quickly packed up the dining set and cleared off the table, leaving the compartment even cleaner than it was when they arrived. Minerva got up from her seat to stretch and dust any residual cookie crumbs off. Allis grabbed her satchel and sword, fastening it back on her waist. Using the window as a mirror she straightened her blonde hair, making sure the braid that pulled some of her hair back was still intact, along with her hairpin before putting on her hat.

"By all means move at glacial pace, you know how that thrills me" Minerva was already halfway down the aisle. Allis hurriedly gathered her things back into her satchel and scanned the compartment to be sure she left nothing behind. Content that she had her belongings, the blonde raced after her traveling companion that waited for her on the platform.

"Please! Wait up! I'm coming!"

~/*\~

As Ciel expected, the station was as crowded as ever. With the beginnings of spring nearing, the weather was getting warmer, and today with such clear sky everyone was out and about. Shopkeepers set up outdoor stalls; performers danced and played merry tunes for passersby hoping to make a few pounds.

His servants were about, pointing out the wares that each stall had to offer, distracted by the performers; thought it was embarrassing, but the earl knew they could be doing worse. Besides it had been a while since he last brought them along with him to the city. And he preferred to surround himself with the familiar faces of his staff than all the strangers that surrounded him as he waited on the platform. He disliked train stations. The platforms were narrower than the streets, and there were no buildings or alleyways to duck into to have a moments reprieve from the passersby.

Yes, this day will certainly be testing in all areas of his character.

"My lord" His butler started. "The train has arrived"

The train they had been waiting for had began the process of pulling into the station. This was another thing he hated about train stations, they were always so loud. It wasn't enough to have the constant backing of people chatting, dogs barking, seller yelling out prices on their wares, obnoxious laughter from gossiping women, slurred swears from tramps and the like, beggars asking for a few pence to buy some bread; but the loud commotion of the engine of the train.

It was a deafening sound. The screeching of the metal parts, the loud ringing of the bell, and the whistle blowing; these sounds were too much for the young boy. He was raised far from the noise of London; he was not able to tune out all the auditory stimulation. He could feel his chest tighten up, his airways slowly closing, causing his breathing to become panicked. His butler quickly rushed to his side to access what could be ailing his young master.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes taking in all the information before him. Elevated blood pressure, pupils slightly dilated, repertory distress, and racing heartbeat. His master was having a panic attack. Probably due to all the noise and the proximity of all the people around him. He sighed. His master could be delicate at times. Thinking quickly, he placed his hands over his master's ears to help drown out the noise. It was the best he could do at the moment as he searched for a spot on the plat form a little less 'occupied'.

At the far end of the platform where no stalls or performers set up, there was a free spot. There was a large pillar there, offering structural support to the glass overhang that shielded the platform from the elements, but it also cast a little of a shadow, making that end of the platform a little darker than the rest. Perhaps this is why it was vacant. It was a bit away from the area where most of the passengers would be leaving the train, but it would have to do till his master had collected himself.

Scooping his master up into his arms he turned to the footman that had remained by his side. It would seem he too did not like the congested atmosphere either. "Go fetch the others and meet us over at the far end of the platform" He gestured with his head which end he was talking about. Though hesitant to be separated from the only people he knew in this scary place, he quietly nodded and went off in search of the others. "I will try my best, says Emily" he called out as he ducked into the crowd.

The butler made his way to the secluded spot, his master in tow. After setting the boy down he began coughing, his breathing slowly returning to normal. His eyes were a tad red and his cheeks slightly flushed, but overall he seemed to have recovered from his episode. "Se-Sebastian"

"Don't worry, the others will meet us here. For now we can wait till the crowd thins out after the passengers disembark." Ciel nodded, that was a better arrangement than being in the middle of that crowd again.

Another whistle blew as several conductors opened the sliding doors that lead off of the train on the first two cars. Both Ciel and Sebastian kept their eyes trained on the people exiting the train, trying to figure out which of the males could be Allister. "It would have been easier if we had been given a photograph or a description of what Allister looked like"

"Yes it would have made the task simpler, but it does add some more intrigue and a bit of a surprise" the butler mused.

"Surprise?"

The butler was about to answer when something caught his eye. It was slender and supple, lovely in white and black, a vision of regal elegance. The earl waited for the demons reply, but instead watched as his butler paused, as if he were going to say something, but halted abruptly. His eyes were elsewhere.

Following his butlers gaze he quickly realized what had captured his butler's attention so. A woman who had just exited the train had a small white cat perched on her shoulder. The cat was busy licking its front paw, but had felt the boys gaze on him and immediately locked eyes with the earl. The cat was completely white save for the one black patch of fur on its forehead, around its neck was a black collared tie with a purple butterfly brooch. The cat's icy silver eyes kept starring at the cerulean ones of the young boy, almost threatening him. As if it knew who he was.

In a telling gesture, the cat's eyes moved to the demons. Though a lover of cats, the demon sensed that this cat knew instantly what he was, that much was certain. Its fur started to stand on end, its hackles raised, a low warning growl warning him to stay away from its owner.

The cat's distress alerted its owner into investigating what was causing her cat distress. Grabbing the cat off of her shoulder, the woman turned in their direction to find the disturbance.

The woman looked quite young, just a teenager. However she was dressed rather odd. She wore a strange outfit that looked like a streamlined and much shorter version of what the women here wore, and instead of proper shoes, she wore silver leg armor that was designed to look like elegant heeled boots that went up to her mid thigh. The strangest part was that she carried a sword. Ciel wondered why would she need armor and a sword?

Following her cats gaze as it continued to hiss she met the earl's gaze. Her eyes were a strange shade of violet. His body trembled. No, it was a familiar shade, a color he knew all too well. The eyes that stare back at him are just as the eye that stares back at him everyday. Though they lacked the faint glow of a demons mark, they still had that otherworldly feel. Those eyes were out of place in this world, just like many other things that the earl chose to surround himself with. The girl's eyes never left his, her eyes widening briefly, almost in realization, before returning to normal as she started walking in their direction.

~/*\~

Allis had only just got of the train a few minutes ago and Gisello was already perturbed. She had just started to take in her surroundings when the felt the cat tense up. Chalking it up to nerves, the witch ignored her familiar and continued to look around. It was when he started hissing that she decided to look into what got him so riled up. She plucked the cat from her shoulder and held him up to her face. "What is up with you Gigi, we're off the train now so you should be happy" The cat calmed down a little but still was on edge.

"Look behind, at the far end" he hissed.

Listening to her familiar, the witched turned to see what her partner was going on about. He breath caught in her throat. The heavens. She saw the bluest sky in the eye of the child whose gaze she met. A black eye patch covered the other eye, but the one she did see was an extraordinary shade of blue. A shade that would rival the richest lapis lazuli, or the deepest sapphire; a crystal blue sky, le ciel.

'He must be the son of Earl Ciel Phantomhive with eyes like that' the witch thought to herself. She reasoned she could go over and ask him, if he wasn't she could ask if he could point her in the direction of where she could find him. She was on her own now since Minerva had parted ways with her when they got off the train, and she needed to have more courage and be able to do these sorts of things on her own.

Taking in a deep breath for strength, Allis collected herself and strolled over to the boy, and his butler, who she completely looked over.

~/*\~

Ciel straightened up as she neared them, trying to push down the lump in his throat. She stopped just a few steps before them. A few moments of silence passed as she studied them, and they in turn scrutinized her.

Sebastian could feel the girl's nervousness. She was a shy one, but something was off about her. He could smell her fear, but she did not smell like a human, or a demon, or a reaper; she smelled old, ancient, and far older than he, older than any other demon that he knew. However she also still smelled young, fresh. Two differing smells, how odd.

"Excuse me?" She started. Her voice wavered slightly but gained confidence as she continued. "I know this might be strange, I'm new to the human realm…"

Ciel's eye visibly widened. 'Human realm?' Was she insane, or really from another world? The girl had sensed his shock and hesitated in continuing on. Without even realizing it Ciel found himself answering he. "Go on."

She flinched. She looked away from him, blushing in embarrassment, but turned back to him and continued. "I-I know this might sound weird to you…but I-I…are you the son of the earl Ciel Phantomhive?"

Sebastian was marginally taken aback before finding himself again. It always was entertaining when people could not believe that the earl was the young boy. And his master's face was quite scandalous; he was completely flabbergasted so the demon took the liberty to speak on his behalf.

"Pardon miss, you see this boy is not the son of Ciel Phantomhive, but actually the Earl Ciel Phantomhive." The girl was taken aback. This young child was the earl, he was the she was looking for? Part of her was let down a little, but she was also relieved. At lead now it made sense that he was a toy mogul, and that he was not a pedophile.

The butler thought it best to continue if they were to fetch their guest soon, he would need to wrap this up quickly. "I am the young masters butler and butler to the Phantomhive household, Sebastian Michaelis. May I ask your name and what business you have with earl?"

The girl straightened up. "Sorry, how rude of me! It's not proper to as a chevalier to not formally introduce one's self" She quickly set her cat on the ground and reached for her sword and unsheathed it. The sword was a rapier that seemed to be made of high quality steel polished to a pristine shine the blade had elegant patterns engraved along it, but what stood out was the maxim written along its length.

'Ab facere malum hoc, si tu effugies iudicium'*was engraved in Latin along the blade. The hilt was in the swept Italian style with metal coiling in elegant swirls, topped off with an amethyst embedded in the pommel, and a white tassel tied around it with a small butterfly charm attached.

The girl held the sword up in the 'present' position. "My name is Allister Lise Hamilton, I am the Chevalier of house Hamilton, and by order of Queen Larise Cromwell, I am to be your magister magi for the duration of one year"

The show was a little startling, and it took a moment for the young earl to process the information he was given. First off, the guest he was expecting was to be a middle aged or so man, not a teenage girl; second was that she held the rank of a knight and walked around with a rapier; the last part confused him though.

"Excuse me, but who is this Queen Larise she's not any ruler I have heard of. And what exactly is a 'magister magi'?"

Allis sheathed her sword and bent down to pick up her cat. "A magister magi is the highest rank a witch can receive, however to earn that rank you must travel away from your home land and be a resident witch for one year."

Ciel blinked in disbelief. She had to be insane, a witch? He should have guessed with the strange clothing that she was not all there. But then again, considering he has a demon for a butler, and gets harassed by homosexual reapers and idiot drug smugglers; he should not be quick to dismiss the existence of witches.

He was intrigued. "So you are a witch?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Does my Queen know this?"

She nodded again and began to stroke her cat's fur, trying to calm it down. "Well when the court emissary contacted the rulers of the various areas in the human realm, they were made aware of what we were, and very few accepted the terms of letting us live in their kingdom for a year. Other than your queen, only three other regions agreed."

"What were the terms?" Ciel wanted to get a firmer grasp on the situation, but it was appearing to be much larger than just playing host to a dignitary.

"I would like to explain this all to you, but I feel this is not the time or proper place. All you need to know that if you agree and recognize me as a witch, I am to enter a deal with you, and I will offer my service to you."

"A deal? What exactly-"

"You know for someone who has a demon for a butler you continue to question the existence of witches"

Ciel stiffened. That was a man's voice, but the issue was where it was coming from. It was neither his nor Sebastian's, and unless Allis is a cross dressing boy…

"Down here professor". Ciel looked down at the cat that was in Allis' arms. The cat. Was talking. To him. With words.

"That cat is talking!" Ciel exclaimed. Sebastian was not fazed in the slightest; he had figured the cat was no ordinary cat. And perhaps he is the one that has the strange smell, and not Allister. "My what a sharp cat. Out of curiosity how did you know I was a demon?"

The cat jumped from his master's arms shifting into his human form. No longer stood a small white cat; standing before them was a man that was an inch or two shorter than the demon. He had tanned honey skin and white hair with the left side pushed back leaving the small section of black fringe falling over his brow. He wore a uniform similar to Sebastian's. Fitted black trousers, a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, over which he wore a dark mauve vest with gray backing. White saddle shoes and black leather gloves were the final touch.

"Your smell that's for starters." The familiar shot back. "Besides we could see that mark on your hand, that white glove can fool humans, but witches and familiars can see a demon's contract mark."

Sebastian turned his head to Allis. "Is this true?" She nodded back. "Yes. I didn't notice earlier because I was not looking at you, but I see it on the back of your left hand." She pointed at it. To her she can see the symbol glowing through the glove.

"So, you really are a witch."

"Do you recognize me as one?" The earl closed his eyes, carefully thinking over his next words. Whatever the case, now was not the time for this discussion. The platform had already emptied out, only a few people and conductors remained. It was too open for a conversation of this type, besides he had to get back to the manor, Elizabeth would be arriving in a few hours.

Elizabeth! He had already forgotten that she was coming for dinner. This was going to be difficult. "Sebastian, we should hurry. Lady Elizabeth will be on her way to the manor soon, and there is much that still needs to be done." He turned to Allis. "I am sorry but we will have to have this discussion in private later this evening. For now we must be on our way back."

Allis nodded. "Alright" However before leaving the earl offered the witch his hand. "No matter the instance, it is still rude of me to not formally introduce myself to you. After all you are a lady, and above all my honored guest." Allis looked at his hand, even though he was still skeptical about it, he still was being polite; she reasoned it was a start. She gently offered her hand.

"I am the Earl Ciel Phantomhive, the Queens Guard Dog, and it is my greatest honor to welcome you as a guest in my humble residence"

She smiled, even though he was an earl, he still was a child. But he was her host, and she would accept that. "And I am Allister Lise Hamilton, the last Chevalier of house Hamilton, but please call me Allis" She then gestured to her still fuming familiar. "And this is my loyal familiar, Gisello."

She bowed to the young earl. "Thank you for welcoming us into your home and we are pleased to make your acquaintance."

Sebastian stood back and watched as things began to unfold. He could see in the distance Snake with the other servants in tow on their way to join them. Things are surly about to get more interesting around the manor. Whatever her intentions, one thing was for certain, she would be a valuable piece in his master's game. A piece that he may be able to use to his own advantage as well; a game needs a rule changer every once in awhile. Now the game board has been flipped, a new piece presented to player. It is the player's decision, and his alone, to decide whether or not to accept it.

Whatever the outcome, after the game is done, and all the pieces fallen; only the king will remain.

And him.

And when that time comes, he will be the winner.

111111111111111111111111 .:End of Chapter 1:. 1111111111111111111111111

*The maxim on the sword translates to 'Keep from evil doing if thou wouldst escape this judge'

Well I hope you all liked this first chapter! It took me a while to get this out since I really get lost in the descriptive nuances that go on when people talk. I tried my best to keep people in character. And I really am trying to make Allis a vulnerable but fun character. But don't worry, we're gonna break that cutie!

Thanks for reading and please leave a review and some feedback so I can know what to work on and what was good. See you in chapter 2!


	2. Learning to Play

Chapter 2: Learning to Play

Getting back to the manor was top priority, so there was no time for introductions of the house staff as they bumbled about loading the carriage with Allis' luggage; all three trunks of it. The earl wondered why she would only have three trunks, but they were quite heavy to the staff, leaving Finny to be the one to load them whilst the other servants loaded in the wares that they had bought at the stalls.

After securing everything the servants got onto their carriage with the luggage, Bard being the coachman whilst Ciel, Sebastian, Allis and Gisello got into the other carriage Tanaka their coachman. Since it was just the four of them, and Ciel being as impatient as ever, thought it best to continue the conversation the four had earlier. As he saw it, there would be no free time to discuss privately while Elizabeth was there, and it would certainly help the long ride feel shorter.

He had been staring at the fine details in his walking cane before bringing his eyes up to stare at the witch. She sat opposite him and Sebastian with her familiar across from Sebastian. He had calmed down, but he was keeping a firm eye on the demon, noting every movement, his body tensed and waiting to strike at the moment his mistress is threatened.

She was relaxed, a small smile on her lips as she took in all the sights and sounds around her. To her this was all new, this was exciting, and interesting; to him it was another day in the overcrowded dirty streets of London. He wondered what her world was like. Was it so different from his own? Would he be like she was now if he was there? So many questions, he needed to know the answers to. And the earl always gets his questions answered.

"Allister." He started. "Since it will be a long ride back to the estate, would you mind answering some questions I have?"

The girl curiously quirked her brow. "Questions?"

"Yes. We are in private, and my fiancé will be dining with us tonight, so this is the only time we will have to discuss in private."

She perked up. The earl had a fiancé? That was so adorable! She couldn't wait to meet her. She would love to learn of human betrothal practices. Though she did wonder if the girl was his age, or if she was much older since he was an earl and all…if she were older it would be quite scandalous. Perhaps he can answer some of her questions about humans. "Alright, as long as I get to ask a few of my own questions."

The earl nodded in agreement. "Very well. My first question is what exactly is a witch, and why are you here precisely." He wanted to get the bigger questions out of the way first. He watched as she paused for a moment, no doubt trying to piece together an answer for him.

"I don't know how to explain it, but I will try my best. Witches are very similar to humans, but there are key differences"

"And those are?"

"Well humans are very logical beings, there are some that are more…open to things not of tis world, but for the most part they are not aware of otherworldly things. These things are restricted to stories and the imaginations of children. Witches are beings who are open to these things, hence they have high magical aptitude."

Ciel furrowed his brows. "Magical aptitude?"

"Magical aptitude is what determines ones ability to use magic. In Magaea, not every one is a witch, well not a spell casting one that is. There are those who can only use very weak magics since they have a low magical aptitude or M.A., but their M.A. is still higher than a humans."

Sebastian spoke up. "So there are some who can do magic, and some that cant where you're from?"

"Yes. Another difference is a witches eyes". Sebastian's interest was now piqued. He was curious about witches, he needed to know what he was up against should he come across one in the future.

"A witches eyes can 'see beyond the line'."

"Beyond the line? What is that all about?" The earl was getting more and more intrigued by the existence of witches.

"The line is what holds humans back from knowing of the existence of otherworldly beings like demons, reapers, witches and the like. Witches are able to see beyond that line, it's what lends them to being able to use magic. That was how my familiar and I were able to see that your butler is actually a demon."

Sebastian smirked. "Is that so? Were you able to see my true form?" Allis shook her head. "No. We can see a demons contract seal, not their forms. But when you think of it, it makes sense we can see the seals, it was witches who gave them to demons"

This was news to Sebastian. He was one of the older demons, but he never really understood the marks that they were given. It was something that by his generation was another part of being a demon. The butler brought his left hand to his mouth, biting his glove; he carefully removed it, revealing the grayish pale skin and black fingernails along with his mark. He presented his hand to the witch. "Witches gave us these marks you say?"

Allis was a little startled when the demon presented his hand to her. She had seen demons before, in passing really. But this was her first time seeing one in person. And he was quite the specimen. Allis could not deny that he was attractive, very much so, it was part of the reason she did not address him directly. She also was not used to being around grown men. And Sebastian was not just a handsome grown man, but a handsome grown male demon. She had heard of witches that had spirited trysts with demons, most of them were unwanted, but there was something that demons were able to do to witches that made them pliant and wanton. It was always told to her as an old witches tale that a male demon is a female witches weakness. So naturally she would avoid them.

Yet here she was, in a small-enclosed carriage, with a demon offering his hand to her. She did not feel that overwhelming need that other witches had described. Perhaps there may have been some exaggerations here and there…or she was that dense.

Pushing those thoughts away, she hesitantly reached out and gingerly took the demons larger hand in both of her smaller ones. She took a closer look at the marking that was engraved into his skin. Her fingers traced the intricate ring of thorns that circled the star in the middle. Feeling the indentations of the pitted skin. A warm smile danced on her lips. "The ring of thorns that bind thee shall bind ye who taketh this contract." She paused letting go of his hand. "That was the gift the witches gave to demons. Long ago demons killed and fed indiscriminately. They were voracious eaters, however they found that no matter how many souls they consumed that they never felt that their hunger was sated. In order to prevent the extinction of the human race, and to sate the hunger of demons; witches taught the demons the power of the contract seals."

"That would explain why a contracted soul usually makes a better meal than an un-contracted one." The demon mused.

"That answered the first half of my question, but what about the other part"

Allis nodded to Ciel. "Yes. Sorry. The reason I am here is as a part of extending diplomatic relations as well as investigate the strange occurrences that have been happening both in my realm and here."

"And those are?"

"I'm not sure. The other witch I came here with was not sure either. All I know is that it has something to do with a rise in Shades, and the increase of Elder-shades. They are beings that are similar to demons when it comes to consuming, however they exist only to consume, and they will consume anything in it's entirety. They are true voracious eaters."

"They do sound quite problematic. But how is that you are sure that they are here?" the demon looked to the witch to answer, but instead her familiar shot him a cutting response.

"It's none of the business of a foul demon to know how we know! Allis is here to do her investigation, complete her service requirement, and get her title as ' magister magi' and go home." He then turned to Ciel with a glare. "Now if professor mong here would acknowledge her and go into a deal, we can hurry up and leave this wretched realm!"

Allis quickly turned to her disobedient familiar; her freckled cheeks were red in anger and embarrassment. Gigi was out of line, and it was time for him to pay for his rude conduct. "Gigi that's it!" With a wave of her hand a distinct popping sound was heard and in an instant the familiar was back in his cat form and was floating in a glass orb. The earl was startled and amazed at the sight and continued to watch on as the witch brought the orb to float in front of her.

"I think you need to spend some time in there. You can come out when you are ready to apologize to sir Phantomhive and Mr. Sebastian and behave like a familiar worthy of the Chevalier of house Hamilton." She spoke firmly to her familiar. And turned her attention to the earl. "I'm so sorry. Gigi can be a bit defensive and can overstep with his words." Her face softened, her eyes pleading the earl's forgiveness. "But he is kind, and he has the best of intentions…it just takes him time to trust someone."

Normally he would give a sound verbal thrashing to anyone that dares insult him, or the house of Phantomhive. But seeing as he had been quickly reprimanded, he supposed that he could let this pass. "Very well, just keep a tighter leash on your charge. A players reach is only as strong as his ability to control his pieces"

Allis flinched at his words, so cold. Even from a child, they still stung her. Deciding it best to move on, Allis gently waved her hand and let the orb continue to lazily float around the cabin. "So I guess it's my turn to ask a question! Lets see…tell me about yourself, I mean it was you that the queen chose to be my host. So you must be someone of great importance to her majesty."

Ciel closed his eyes and smirked. Though she seemed like an annoyingly saccharine do-gooder, she was sharper than she looked. "I am the queens loyal watchdog just as my predecessor before me as are all the heads of the distinguished house of Phantomhive. We are tasked with maintaining the more…unsavory side of the English empire."

"Yes my master is considered one of the 'dark noblemen, however my master prefers to just seeing it as he is willing to use whatever means at his disposal. Whatever it takes, for her Majesty."

Allis took a moment to process what the earl had given her, yet another question came to mind. "Is that why you have a demon for a butler?"

Ciel was quick to reply. "It is none of your business who or what I employ. Since I answered your question it is my turn again."

"Well you didn't really answer the second part." The witch huffed. "But I suppose I'll find out in time"

"On to my next question. What exactly is this 'deal' you speak of; is it like a demons contract?"

" A witches deal is similar to a demons contract, we offer our services in exchange for something."

"And what is that 'something' pray tell?"

"A demons desire is always the same, they wish for a soul to eat." She paused feeling herself thirsty. She waved her hand and within an instant a tray with three cups, sugar, a box of tea, a teapot of hot water, and a small hourglass appeared floating between them.

"Would you fancy some tea my lord?" She asked as she began to place the tealeaves in the sieve. Part of Ciel was starting to believe that she was truly a witch, however little parlor tricks like these were not enough to fully convince the boy, however he will humor her. "Yes, what kind is it?"

"Rose hibiscus, it seemed like a nice day for it" She finished placing the leaves and closed the top to the pot and turned the hourglass over. "Now hopefully I can finish the answer to your question before the timer finishes. As I was saying, demons always ask for souls in their contracts, but witches can ask for really anything"

"Anything?" The butler questioned.

"Well anything that is feasible for the person to do. Give an eye, or their liver, a book, a kiss, money, really anything the witch wants to gain from that person. However there are those who take much dearer things." Her eyes met Ciel's, more specifically his concealed eye. "May I see your eye?"

Ciel stiffened. He never really liked showing people his eye. Perhaps because he was afraid of fully realizing the choices he has made to get this far. Though he was strong and in the face of many misfortunes held strong; he was still just a boy.

And whenever a child is asked about something bad that they have done, there is always hesitation.

No.

This was the choice he made. He wanted this; he wanted to bear this mark, and no matter what troubles, or judgments he will continue to bear this mark. This mark has become part of who he is. This mark is Ciel Phantomhive. Reaffirming himself, Ciel reached up and grasped the eye patch and pulled it away. He opened his eye to reveal the amethyst eye that sees nothing. On it was the familiar ring of thorns and pentagram etched into it.

Allis desperately wanted to reach out and hold the boy. For the mark to be so visible meant that the contract is absolutely binding. What could this boy have wanted so badly that he was willing to give up his own soul? What was so important? Was he in such despair that he felt no other way?

When Allis thought about it, if he was the earl, that must mean that his father has passed, and he has not once mentioned his mother, or any other relatives other than his fiancé, they must be gone as well. She shot a quick glance at Sebastian. Of course he would come to this boy. Demons always came to humans who are alone, their judgment weakened; desperately looking for a way out.

Was he really Ciel's only way out?

"Your contract is quite a strong one" she found herself saying to the earl.

"Don't think that because I am a child that I would do as a child would. I am the earl of Phantomhive, I do nothing weakly or halfway" He smirked. "That includes selling my soul to a demon. If I am going to sell my soul, I will make sure it is worth it, no matter the pain or cost"

Allis looked down at the timer. The tea was ready to be served. She opened the kettle and removed the leaves, vanishing them away. She began to pour Ciel's cup, then paused at Sebastian's. "Would you care for some tea as well Mr. Sebastian?"

The butler was marginally startled. No one has offered him tea before. He was a butler, he was the one usually offering tea, and it was strange to have someone offer. "No I'm quite-"

"Nonsense! I know you are a demon, but please try this tea. It's a special type of tea that even some demons can actually enjoy!"

A tea that demons can enjoy? When it came to human food, demons found no desire to eat it. The moment the food would touch their lips it would gain a dry and powdery texture; to them the food would taste bland and smoky. Not unlike the taste and feeling of having consumed ashes.

The witch smiled as she poured a cup for the demon, plopping in two sugar cubes and carefully mixing it. After she mixed it she waved her hand over it and it gained a faint glow. She offered the cup to the demon. "There, made specially for a demon to enjoy"

Ciel watched as Sebastian gingerly took the cup and warily eyed it. "Please don't worry. I just added something to it that I though that Sebastian would enjoy. It's completely harmless and safe"

"What did you add to his tea?"

"I added some of my memories"

"Your memories?"

Allis nodded. "It is the memories and experiences that flavor a soul for a demon, so a memory or two would do well with some sugar to bring out the flavor in the tea" She giggled while Ciel's expression darkened slightly.

"Why would you offer your memories? Are you trying to buy my servants trust?"

"No. I just wanted him to have some tea. He has not eaten in quite some time from the looks of it." She offered the boy his cup. "And I wanted to show some of my many uses" Sebastian eyed the tea warily, but seeing as she did go through the trouble, he should at least humor her and brought the tea to his lips to take a sip.

As soon as the warm liquid hit his tongue he felt a wave of flavor. It was rich, deep taste. Something warm and slightly sweet with a smooth silky feel. Yes this was the taste of a sweet memory with some melancholy. He wanted to consume the whole cup in one gulp and have more, but he resigned himself to take small sips. He was a demon, and the only soul that will truly sate him is his master's.

Though the tea did make a nice treat.

Ciel watched as his butler sipped the tea, his pupils had shifted from their dried blood red, to a glowing fuchsia and red mix. "How does it taste?" The earl wanted to know just how much of an affect the tea had on him.

"It…tastes nice. Not as delicious as your soul will be, but it does have a complex texture that I am fond of" The demon smirked. "But it still vastly pales in comparison to a ripe soul in anguish"

The witch put on a pleasant smile. "Well I thought as much. So Ciel, care to strike a deal with me? I can be very useful to you."

"What is it that you want? My soul is already spoken for, and I don't care to give away any organs. What else do I have that may interest you?" The earl wouldn't lie, Allis would be a very valuable piece, a strong one; but he already has a knight. If he can gain this knight for the right price…

"Well…I just would like to finish my service training, and I would like to do it here in the human realm. So I guess I would be asking for…" She took her time to think of what she really wanted. What did she want from this boy? She did not want to harm him or wish him ill. He was a child…just a child. That was it! She knew what she wanted!

"I-I…I want to f-frien-form a partnership with your toy company!" She really wanted to say she wanted to be his friend, but she found herself saying business partner. It was a good start; perhaps she could become his friend by working close with him on the company. 'Every child deserves a friend' she thought. 'He looks so lonely, and I want him to smile, even if he has already sold his soul I want him to be happy' She began to think of how she felt when her parents died and how alone she was.

'Friends make the hardships we bear in life more manageable. For him I want to bear his burden, that is a chevalier's duty. To bear the pains of the people and defend their happiness.'

She looked into the boy's eyes, looking past them into his memories; she could not see them all, but she recognized that look, that look of having lost everything they held dear in the blink of an eye. She understood that feeling more than anyone; she did not want him to bear that pain, at least not alone.

Ciel was taken aback by her request. She wanted to be a partner of Funtom? What use does a witch have for a toy and confectionary company? There has to be more to it. "It that all you want? Are you sure there is nothing else you desire? After all you are to serve me for the next year; surely there is more to your request than that."

"No. I work with children you see…back home I helped run an orphanage. I just would like to learn to make toys and bring them back to the children there."

"Fine. I can agree to you being my business partner. However I want you to tell me what you will do for me."

The witch straightened up, an earnest determination in her eyes. "I will be your magical advisor! I know a wide range of spells and charms, I'm a really good fencer, and I can help out around the estate too! Just…acknowledge me as a witch and I will do whatever is in my power to assist you."

"So I have to acknowledge you? What else do I have to do; isn't there some sort of contract procedure like one would do with a demon?" This brought back memories of how he made a contract with Sebastian; a dull ach throbbed in his right eye. He hoped it was not going to be something pain related. He watched the witch nervously scratch her head. "Well it's not quite like that…its something ummm…well its.."

"Spit it out before I change my mind!"

Allis's face started to turn beet red and she was speaking in an incomprehensible babble. "Well..um uhh a w-witches deal is sealed wi-wi-with a, a"

"A what?" Ciel snapped. "Alright, alright!" Allis took a few deep breaths to calm herself this was her first time, and she couldn't believe she was going to loose it to a young boy. He was so young, too young, she never imagined her first time to be so stressful, after all is he even ready for this? She would probably be his first as well but he has a fiancé.

His fiancé! Allis forgot about her. Wouldn't this be considered a betrayal? Being with another woman. Oh god she was a home wrecker. A thieving she wolf that preys upon young boys.

"Miss Allister? Miss?" The demon called to her, he trued to snap her out of her dazed state. The butler continued to try to rouse the witch but was interrupted when he sensed something. Something large and malevolent was coming there way quickly. It was something the demon never felt before, in the living world. He has felt this once before during one of his trips to the underworld. He had never had the misfortune of actually seeing one; most demons have learned to let these creatures are to be left be if they wish to live.

A soft violet glow lightly filled the cabin. Looking over the demon saw that the glow was coming from Allis' sword, more specifically the butterfly charm was glowing and lightly chiming. The glow and chime increased as the force that meant them harm drew closer to the carriage.

Allis snapped out of her daze and brought the charm up to her face to inspect it. "Oh no…it's a large one"

"A large what?" The earl questioned. He did not know what was going on, but his butler was tensed, as was the familiar. "What is going on?"

"Something is coming my lord."

"What is it?"

The familiar who had been quietly floating in his bubble began to shake, his hackles raised, fangs bared. "An Elder-Shade"

"Oi what is that thing!"

"Its so big! It is!"

"It's coming down!"

Ciel could hear his servant's screams, as whatever it was that they were seeing was above them and trying to attack. The carriage began to violently shake; Tanaka undoubtedly increased the horse's speed in an attempt to outrun the creature. Allis stood up. "I'm really sorry for what I am about to do" "I as well master"

Ciel sat confused. He was about to ask about what they was talking about, but he quickly understood why. Within one movement, Sebastian had rid the compartment of its roof and upper half entirely, exposing them to the open air. Flying above them was a large black creature; it was far too large to be an ordinary bird seeing as it was the size of a small house.

"And so shall his name be 'Nevermore' "

"Now is not the time to be quoting Poe you idiot. Go and deal with that thing, that's an order!"

The butler bowed to his master, his eyes taking on their true form. "Yes, My lord."

Leaping up into the air, his cutlery in hand he landed on top of the creature and made quick work of sinking several of his knives into its flesh. The creature let out a loud pained shriek causing everyone below them to cover their ears to drown out the noise.

In defense the bird flapped its large wings, hundreds of feathers dislodging and firing themselves at the carriages below. "Gigi quickly to the other carriage!" The familiar was released from the orb and shifted to his human form, grabbed Tanaka and leaped to the other carriage that the servants occupied; leaving Allis and Ciel behind. Swiftly removing her sword from her sheath, holding it high above her head she started to chant. "Disciples of Hephaestus please bestow upon me a shield that is worthy of a knight, the aegis of Athena!"

A large golden shield with the intricate embossment of paellas Athena appeared above the two carriages just in time to deflect the rain of razor sharp feathers disappearing after the last of the feathers came down.

"What the bloody hell was that? And how did she do that?" Bard yelled as he sat on one of the trunks to keep it from falling off the speeding cart. The other servants were shocked as well and were trying to grasp the situation. Mey-Rin scrambled under one of the seats and grabbed the long-range riffles that she had stored for occasions such as these. "Bard! Catch!" She tossed a riffle to Bard. She took off her glasses and began ling up a shot on the creature.

Finny and Snake on the other hand was busy taking over the reigns of the horses, trying to keep them steady as they raced along the country path.

Gigi tried his best to focus on protecting the passengers on his carriage. He did not think a Shade would come so soon, an Elder-shade at that. Allis will have to subdue that this quickly if they are to avoid any casualties or collateral damage. However it was strange that one would attack specifically here, it would have made more sense for it to have attacked at the station where there were more humans to eat. Why here on a secluded path way out on the countryside.

Almost as though it knew they were there.

Ciel turned to Allis. "What is that thing?" She turned to the boy, a solemn look in her eyes. "It's is a voracious eater, a being who exists to consume all; an Elder-shade." Ciel looked back up at the large black monster as it continued to fly overhead, keeping its pace with the carriages. It seemed like it actually had no real form, an amorphous blob of black mass that happened to take a shape vaguely resembling a bird, save for a single white mask that it wore; two black holes and a outstretched white beak.

"Don't worry." Allis walked over so that she stood before the boy and placed her hand gingerly on his shoulder. "I will protect you. I am on your side, and will be for as long as you want me to be Ciel"

Ciel brushed her hand away and scoffed. "You've barely known me a day, too soon to be pledging loyalties. Besides, I have yet to accept your deal; so as to why you are so willing to do anything for me is a mystery." He looked to his butler who still continues to strike the creature with cutlery but to no avail. "Even he protects me, but not of his own will; he does so in order to consume my soul. Everyone acts for their own interests, not for others."

He shot a cold glare at Allis. "You are no different. So you can stop with all your bravado on being a 'chevalier'. It makes no difference to me. Till you prove your worth, all you are doing is offering me empty promises and parlor tricks."

Allis stepped back. His words had stung her. She did not expect him to be so blunt about it; he was a child after all. But she was beginning to realize that despite his age, Ciel was far beyond his years intellectually; but that didn't not make the pain and embarrassment in her heart go away. Part of her wanted to run away, run away from this mean boy, run away from her duty, run away from this lonely realm.

But she can't. She has nowhere to run to.

Pushing her feelings aside as best she could, Allis tightened her grip on her sword feeling the sting of unshed tears causing her vision to get blurry. She has fought for everything; ever since that day fifteen years ago, no since she was born into the house of Hamilton, she has had to fight to prove herself to those around her. She had to prove that despite being a girl she had the right to hold a sword, the right to carry the family crest.

Even the right to live.

She has fought, alone with no one by her side she continued to fight. No matter how many people had looked down on her, how low she has fallen; even after the purge of her family she was the last one to remain. As long as she remained she was going to fight; as a chevalier should, as she should; because it was all she knew how to do.

"You say that I do this for my own gain?" She brought herself to meet his gaze. "I will prove my worth to you, Ciel Phantomhive! I will prove that I am worthy to be a servant of the Phantomhive's!"

Ciel chuckled briefly. This one was more stubborn than he thought. "Then please. Show me a good show~"

"Right." Allis needed to think of a way to take that thing down and fast. Her first problem was where she was fighting. She needed a space for her to maneuver in; and Ciel's presence only made it more difficult when she had to also consider his welfare. So that brings up her first move.

"First we're going to have to bring you over to the others; you'd be in my way otherwise."

"How are you going to get me over to the other cart? We are moving quite fast if you remember!"

"Simple. Gigi!" In a flash the familiar jumped over, scooped up the boy, and bought him back to the other carriage. The servants huddle around him in a kill circle. "Warning would have been nice!" He yelled to the witch, but she looked as though she was too busy in thought to even notice his complaint.

With that problem solved, she had to work on the minor issue of altitude. A smirk came to her as she already had the solution to that in one of her trunks. She brought her fingers to he lips and whistled as loudly as she could.

Over on the other cart the trunk Mey-Rin had been standing on began to thump about violently. "Oh-ho what's going on? Something's trying to get out of the case it is!" Gigi immediately knew what that something was; he dived between the maid legs causing her to blush and frantically trying to close her legs. "This is so indecent yes it is!"

Gigi found his face heating up as he trued to push the woman away. "No-no. I'm trying to let out what's in there" He stuttered as his hands fumbled with the clasps on the trunk. Successfully managing to open it and free what was trapped inside. The object flew out in such a hurry that it had managed to push the familiar head first into the maids' bosom. Gigi proceeded to pass out from the massive nosebleed that happened as a result. Mey-Rin tried her best to use her handkerchief to clean up the blood and lay familiar in a comfortable position.

Allis deadpanned as she watched her familiar get easily incapacitated. Sometime she wondered why she went with a male familiar that was so weak in the loins. Nevertheless she would hopefully not need his help. She reached out her hand and caught the object that had burst out of the trunk.

Her trusty broom, Palladium.

"Sorry to keep you stuffed up in that dingy old thing. What do you say to a nice run?" She mounted the broom and kicked off towards Sebastian and the Shade. As she flew up she closed her eyes, taking in the feeling of the wind as it whipped her hair around her. It had already felt like ages since she last flown. Even though it was only three days ago, she felt as though she would never fly again.

She leaned over tilting the broom so that she hung off it like one would off a lamppost, if they were singing in the rain. As she neared the back of the creature she prepared to jump and meet up with the demon. Once on the back she dashed over to the butler. "Having luck administering acupuncture to the poor thing?"

A tick formed in the demons brow. "What do you recommend we do? These are creatures you claim to know how to fight"

"Well remember what I said about witches eyes? Unlike you, I can see this shades weak spot"

"Oh?"

"Its on its stomach. The core is there." She mounted her broom, scooting forward a bit and offered her broom to the demon. "Care for a lift?" The demon paused for a moment; he did not like the idea of requiring someone's assistance when it came to doing his job of protecting his master; however he'll make the exception this one time. Instead of mounting the broom behind Allis, he opted to just grab it and hang off it.

Allister shrugged it off and decided to take off again flaying above it. "I think we need to ground it before we can properly kill it."

Pulling out more knives the butler chuckled. "I can assist with that~" He swung off, barreling towards the monsters right wing, knives in hand. Using the momentum from the jump he held the knives out in front of him, slicing through the thick, glob like layers till he cut right through, severing the creatures right wing.

The Shade let out a pained shriek as it fell to the ground below; the loss of one of its wings made it impossible to remain air born. As it neared impact, the servants' carriage picked up speed to avoid being crushed by the creature. Finny and Snake did their best to guide the already panicked horses off the path; the loud whines of the horses were all they could hear. Landing right side first, the Shade crashed into the earth, crushing the second carriage on impact and narrowly missing the first.

The force of the impact caused the carriage to wildly pitch sideways. Finny, using his strength, put his weight into the opposite side of the cart to keep it from capsizing over whilst Snake maintained the reigns, steering them back on to the path to the estate.

"Wait!" Finny called. "We need to go back for Mr. Sebastian and our guest!" Ciel shook his head. "No, we should continue on, let them handle the creature. We need to return before Elizabeth arrives. They can catch meet us there."

Bard set down his riffle. "Are you sure, young master?"

The earl smirked. "It will be fine. Sebastian knows better than to be late preparing dinner"

~/ 2 \~

Allis watched as the creature made impact; her heart clenched as she watched it narrowly miss the cart the others were on, but relaxed when she saw that they got away unharmed and continued on without them. With the others gone, it made dealing with the shade much easier. Hooking her foot on the footpad of her broom, Allis shot down to meet the demon as he stood before the writhing creature on the ground.

"What are we to do now?"

"Simple, we shatter its core." The witch readied her sword as she approached the thrashing shade. Each time it struggled to move, more of the creatures black blood gushed out, dying the earth pitch black. Sebastian stood back and watched as the witch continued to walk over to the shade, black blood flying everywhere as it continued to struggle. Some of it even began to get on her, but she ignored it and moved on.

Once she was in front of it, she paused for a moment to stare at the injured Shade. The shade stopped it struggles to acknowledge the person that approached it. Despite not having eyes, Sebastian could sense the fear the shade was feeling, it was staring at it's executioner; realizing it was going to die it sparked a new fervor in the creatures attempts to defend itself. Using its other wing it swiped blindly at Allis, knocking her away to the side as if it were swatting a fly.

The attack had caught the witch off guard, the force of it knocked the wind out of her. Once she was on the ground the shade used the last of its strength to fire a small barrage of its razor sharp feathers at the witch before she could have the time to recover from the impact.

Sebastian tried his best to reach Allis, but to no avail. He watched as several of the large feathers impaled her right through her abdomen, one through her left arm, and one through her neck. He watched her body flail and spasm from the shock before falling still. Sebastian sensed her heartbeat stop, and the lack of the presence of a soul in her eyes.

She was dead.

Sebastian sighed. His master will not be happy about this, but he had never ordered him to keep her alive; besides, it's not fair to help someone when they are in the middle of a test. And this was a test she failed, ultimately. He turned his attention to the shade that had failed to realize he was there.

"I might say, you really do know how to make a mess of things." The Shade let out another anguished groan as Sebastian neared the creature. With one swift movement he plunged his knives into the soft flesh of the monsters stomach, feeling around for something. His fingers brushed up against a small, hard object. It was a little bigger than his hand and was smooth to the touch. Wrapping his fingers around it he pulled from the creatures stomach.

He opened his hand to see a medium sized stone covered in globs and strands of black blood that also soaked his gloves and the length of his arm. The stone emitted a soft red glow that seemed to pulsate and resonate; like a heart. The Shade franticly swiped its wing at the demon, trying to kill the one that held its heart; however Sebastian dodged the monsters feeble attempts to subdue him.

"You will see that I am quite different from the other that you felled so easily. After all.." He grinned; his demonic aura enveloped him as the Cheshire grin grew. "I am one hell of a butler "

Wrapping his fingers around the stone, he crushed it, fracturing it into millions of microscopic shards. The monster ceased its movement before dissolving into black dust. Looking down at his ruined gloves he clicked his tongue. "Messy, I am forced to get a new change of gloves." After removing his gloves, he turned over to where the witch lay. Though unfortunate, the butler would have to dispose of her body since it would seem unwise to leave her there on the open road. As for her familiar, he would have to be dealt with as well; however how was the young master going to explain this to the queen? She hadn't even made it to the estate and she was already slain. Perhaps that is why the creature had sought them out. It's attacks were focused on her, it had allowed the others to escape; even in it's dying throws it sought to make sure that Allis was dead, ignoring his presence entirely.

Dusting himself of the last buts of black dust, he walked over to the impaled corpse; taking a moment to admire the Shades work before carefully removing the feather the jutted out of its flesh. Removing the three from the stomach revealed just how much force the feathers were shot with for each had been firmly anchored into the ground underneath. One of the feathers had lodged itself so deeply that when the demon pulled on it part of her intestines came with it. Casting the feathers aside he moved to the one that skewered her arm, this one had pierced right through the humerus fracturing it.

The last was the one that was lodged in her neck. It was obvious that this was the killing blow from the amount of blood that had pooled around her head from a severed artery. Removing the last feather, Sebastian dipped his fingers into the wound; the body had already cooled. It would seem that witches are no different than humans when it came to mortality. He tenderly stroked her trachea as he mused about what could have been.

He normally did not care for mortal lives, the average human life; seventy years or so is just an instant to beings like him. It did not bother him when humans died from little things such as illnesses or injury; death was something that demons, like reapers, found to be another thing that just happened; nothing emotional or ill meaning; just something that was to be expected and allowed to happen. That was what interested him about humans. They lived such short lives and knew that it will inevitably end; yet they struggle to live; to make a life worth meaning.

Moving his hand up to caress the blondes freckled cheek, smearing some of her own blood on it in the process his mind wondered to when she offered him tea. It was strange, even now the gesture confused the demon. He was used to being despised, hated, lusted after, feared, even being seen as just a tool; but despite her own fear she acted out of sincere kindness. She did not act to gain, or to gain his favor; just plain simple kindness; despite knowing he was a demon she had offered a mall fraction of herself to him, for his benefit.

Yes the witch had truly confused and bewildered him.

'Even so…'

His fingers ghosted over her lips as he stared at her still opened eyes. 'Her kindness was her undoing' Sebastian had learned through the many centuries that he has lived that those who were kind, always met their end because of their kindness. This world existed to devour the kindness in others, if she hadn't died here; she would have died eventually or have lost that kindness to someone else.

Sebastian was just about to sling her over his shoulder when he noticed something strange about the corpse.

It was moving.

The demons eyes widened. He knew she was dead, he felt no pulse in her neck, and the amount of blood she had lost was enough that there would not be enough to circulate for function; he even could not sense her soul.

However, he could she the faint rise and fall of her chest. She was breathing. And he could feel her soul stirring within. Sebastian shakily brought his hand to rest just above her left breast; there were soft even beats.

"My, my miss witch, you are truly interesting" He closed her eyes and picked her up bridal style. By now the others would have made it back to the estate, and there was still much to do before lady Elizabeth arrived. He looked down at the witch passed out in his arms. He now had to get her back and clean her up before the others notice.

He sighed. "It would seem my duties are as unyielding as ever today. But I suppose I will have to do my best after all…" He smirked as he made his way down the road to the manor.

"How can I call myself a Phantomhive butler if I can't cook a welcoming feast and clean up a corpse~"

2222222222222222222222.:End of Chapter Two :.2222222222222222222222222

Well now things are starting to set themselves up. I wanted to try to explain my cannon of what I think witches would be like in the manga-verse. Starting the next chapter the story will follow the manga starting from chapter 51 That butler, setting sail.

Pretty much the ship voyage, public school, and witch forest arcs. There will be some changes to some of the events in those arcs as well as me weaving into those arcs some information, characters, and moments that will relate to the original plot of my fic. That will gain focus the closer I get to catch up with the manga where it's left off. Once I catch up I will be forced to have to make it up from there.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please leave a review voicing any questions, concerns, or frustrations. And also I am looking for a beta to help me edit since I do miss a lot of typos and whatnot.

Cheers!


	3. Opening Move

Chapter 3: Setting Sail Pt.0/ Terms and Conditions

"Where have you been?" Ciel asked his butler as he sat in his study waiting for his tea to be served. The demon was beside him, on the other side of the teacart preparing his masters tea and afternoon snack.

"Todays tea is a Darjeeling and white blend served with sugar dusted beignets" He set the tea down along with a doily covered plate that held two of the doughy confections. "Don't ignore me." The earl hissed, his patience was waning thin ever since the butler returned.

After being separated from the Demon and the witch, Snake had managed to get the lot of them back to the manor in one piece. Though concerned for the their safety, Ciel reassured the staff that Sebastian would be able to handle everything and they they were to go on finishing the days tasks. Gigi resigned himself to stand watch, waiting for his mistress to return.

Mey-Rin went to polish the silverware, Bard sulked off to finish his task of cleaning the scullery, and Snake with the aid of the gardener, set off to unloading the guest's luggage and brought them to their suite. Ciel had marched off to his office to finish looking over paperwork. It was nearly an hour later that the butler quietly knocked while bringing his afternoon tea.

"I apologize my lord. I was held up by some…bothersome circumstances." The demon thought it wise for now to withhold his discovery about their guest.

"Bothersome circumstances? Pfft, what a mediocre excuse. You are aware that Elizabeth is coming, or have you forgotten?"

A tick formed on the demons forehead however the earl chose to ignore him and sipped his tea. "Speaking of mediocre, where is our guest?"

"Oi, Professor Mong! Allis is not 'mediocre' she just saved your arse" Roared the familiar that had barged in unannounced to the office. He stomped forward and slammed his hands on the desk that separated the boy from the fuming familiar.

"Where is Allis?"

"Oh, miss Allister is resting in her room. It would seem that the engagement coupled with her long journey has tired the poor thing out."

The familiar snapped his head to the demon. "I wasn't asking you, demon. Anyway where is her room, I want to make sure she's ok"

Ciel nibbled on a beignet before piping up. "I don't believe my butler is required to answer your question." The albino stared at the earl, his anger rising. "Why the bloody hell-"

"If you continue to address me as though I am on your level, I will not find myself inclined to offer my hospitality to you, or your mistress."

Gigi felt like he was ready to burst. This boy, this human boy had the nerve to challenge him? If it were not for his beloved mistress's order, he would have strangled that little hell spawn and the demon that served him in an instant. He had to calm down, as much as he would hate to admit it, he was at their mercy, Allis had already scolded him and he did not want to further soil her first impression with her soon to be Noblesse.

Taking in a shaky breath, Gigi pulled back and calmed himself. "There see, good boy." The familiar bared his teeth at the tone of amusement in the earl's words. _'He sees me as a pet! Bloody brat indeed!'_

"Sebastian."

Sensing what his master wanted, the butler bowed with his hand over his heart. "Yes my lord. Miss Allis wished not to be disturbed till dinner, though from her current state, she might rest though till morning from how tired she looked."

Gigi's eyes widened. "She wanted…to be left alone?" Was she still angry with him from earlier? He didn't mean to be 'rude', but the boy was so slow and his demon was so…irritating. He was trying to protect her! He knew demons were ruthless soul stealing lechers that feasted however they please. Above all else witches are taught to avoid demons due to their…affinity for witches. But now his mistress was to share the same roof as one of those dammed beings. He was probably plotting her demise at this very moment!

He didn't trust these humans as it was, but knowing that the master of the estate held the company of a demon made him even more on edge. "I can show you to your room, or if you'd like I can give you a tour of the estate?" The beguiling smile on the butlers face reeked of his arrogant triumph over him, but it was not over.

It was far from over.

"Actually I was wondering if I may wander on my own." Though she wanted to be alone, Gigi still felt that as her familiar he should at least check on her, and she would be asleep so she would not even be aware that he was there. If the butler would not take him to her, he would find her himself.

'I'm a genius!~' The familiar thought to himself.

"You may explore freely, all I ask is that you not intrude on my servants quarters. I can give permission to mine, but it is not my consent I can offer for there's."

Before he could even finish his statement the familiar had already shifted to his feline form and dashed out the window. Ciel sighed and went back to finishing his tea. "Well that takes care of one nuisance." He turned his attention to the newspaper that Sebastian brought with his tea. The major headline read:

GET OVER!? KARNSTEIN HOSPITAL MAKES MIRACLES HAPPEN!

'The departed rising from death? Karnstein Hospital performs a miracle.' The earl thought to himself. This was certainly something he never thought would be a major headline, nor possible.

"Is something wrong?" Ciel shot a pointed stare before turning back to the paper. "No its nothing"

Not a moment after looking back at the paper there were several loud knocks at the door. " Wai- you cant!" He could hear from the other side of the door. "Don't just-" The doors burst open to reveal the annoying familiar face of the head of the British branch of Kong-Rong, Lau. Behind him was his ever quiet and scantily clad bodyguard Ran-Mao, and a flustered Mey-Rin; who had tried and failed to stop the two from intruding into her masters study.

"Hey earl! How are you doing?" Lau loudly greeted the boy.

"Lau!?"

The china-men continued to ignore the look of utter shock and went about looking around for something. "I was aiming for your breakfast but you're done already?" It was well past breakfast and just after lunch…

"What on earth could you…"

Lau ignored the increasingly agitated earl and dismissively looked over to Sebastian. "Say…didn't you die recently?" The butler nervously laughed it off with a straight face. 'As thick as ever…' he thought.

Meanwhile Ciel was growing more agitated as he was ignored yet again. "Listen when people are talking!" Lau paused; Ran-Mao locked her arms with his as they finally turned their lax attention to the fuming little earl. 'Finally…' he thought. Clearing his throat, he repeated what he was trying to say earlier. "What on earth could you want at this hour? Surely you did not come all the way here just to mooch a breakfast off me?"

~/ 3 \~

After moving to the indoor sunroom so that Lau could 'enjoy his meal in a fragrant place'. They resumed their original discussion as Lau and Ran-Mao ate the lunch that would have been eaten had they not had any 'issues' returning to the estate.

"A hospital that revives the dead?"

"You mean that thing in the paper?"

Lau brought another fork full of ham to his mouth before replying. "Yeah that." Ciel waved the yes man off. "Unfortunately I have little interest in the occult so…"

Finishing what he had in his mouth, Lau moved to cut another piece from his plate as he playfully quipped. "It may not be occult though."

Ciel's gaze hardened. "What?"

"Karnstein Hospital. They seem to be doing lots of shopping down at the back docks the earl has me in charge of."

"Drugs?"

"No…" The yes-man brought another piece of ham to his mouth, relishing in the sweet and slightly salty taste of the foreign meat, one of the few things he has come to enjoy during his stay in England. After he finished chewing he continued. "Bodies" He placed his fork down, feeling this type of conversation was bad for ones appetite. "They come shopping for foreign slaves illegally quite often, but lately the amounts are unusual. I highly doubt a hospital could fit so many."

"Don't they just dispose of them once they're not needed." The earl mused. "Not that I really care about that…"

Lau smirked; how he loved this cat and mouse game he played with the earl, dangling a morsel of information in front of him. And though he was trying his hardest to hide it, Lau could see that glimmer of interest in the boy's eyes. "Isn't it bad for a hospital like that to feature in the regular society's news?"

"In other words you are saying that there's a possibility that the revival of the dead is occurring as a result of illegal human experimentation?" The butler questioned.

"That's right"

The boy sighed. "If that's true then it's an interference in the regular society by an underground power" He stilled in thought. Could there be more to this revival hospital nonsense, or was it just that, nonsense? However the idiot did have a point, there could perhaps very well be a cause stemming from the underworld. "However, remove the thorns from a rose in advance and you won't hurt your hand. Sebastian, investigate immediately"

The butler bowed in his usual fashion. "Leave it to me." Ciel rose and walked over to the window. He glanced down to see Finny and snake standing on the front yard; the blonde was excitedly pointing at something further down the road whilst tugging a befuddled Snake. "Reviving the dead eh…how foolish" he muttered to himself. He watched as a carriage pulled in, this must have been what the blonde was so excited about.

"Ciel-Ciel! Listen, listen!"

The boy shivered. He knew that voice, the voice that he had grown fond of, but also managed to irk him at the same time. The voice of his beloved betrothed, Elizabeth. Deciding to not prolong the inevitable, the earl went down to meet his dear wife; however he barely made it to the foyer before the blond had tackled him into a massive bear hug filled with shrill shrieks and coos of 'I missed you'. Ciel managed to pry her off, reduced to just holding each other's hands.

"We're having a family trip in April! We will travel to New York on a luxury passenger ship for three weeks from the 17th!" She nervously squeezed his hands, her cheeks slightly pink. She was nervous about asking Ciel to come. It would be the first time that she and him went on a trip since…that time. Taking in a small breath for strength she looked Ciel in the eye. "So father was wondering if you'd like to…"

"That's impossible." He cut in. Elizabeth looked at him, pleading. "It's a ticket for the Campania's maiden voyage! They say it's the most luxurious ship in the world! Mother said it would be good if Ciel took a rest every once in a while…"

"I appreciate the thought but I can't take that much time off."

The girl separated from him, her eyes were crestfallen. "Awww" The boy felt that knot form in him, a knot that always formed whenever he saw Elizabeth like that. There were very few people in this world that he allowed himself to care for. Ever since that day long ago he had learned to harden his heart. However there was one person that always managed to undo that.

He relented to the bubbly blond. "I'll go if it's somewhere close." She perked up instantly. "I can make time for a few days. Then I'll go wherever you want. So…Wah!"

The blonde threw her arms around the boy before he could even finish what he was saying. "As long as we're together anywhere is fine! I'm so happy!" The earl shifted his gaze, trying to hold his composure as his cheeks heated up. "Anywhere is the most difficult you know…" He pulled away from her. "Besides I also have to consider my guest. I surely can't just abandon them for three weeks"

"A guest!?" the blonde questioned.

"Yes, I was asked to host a foreign nobles daughter for a year while she finishes her studies."

The bubbly blond was already prancing about lost in her own reverie asking the boy a nonstop stream of questions. "Ohhh what's she like? Where is she from? Can I meet her? Is she here now? What kind of clothes does she wear? Are they cute? Ohhh I hope we can become friends!"

"Gah! I can't answer all those questions at once!"

"Oh, sorry" She frowned.

Feeling that stirring again he relented once more. "She is here, but she was weary from her long journey, so she won't be joining us for dinner I'm afraid."

"Awww, I was so looking forward to making her cute!~"

"Don't worry you'll have plenty of time to do that later, she'll be here for a while." Taking out his pocket watch, he noted it to be about time for his evening meal. "It's time for dinner, care to join me?"

The girl frowned. "Oh I'm sorry! I forgot to tell you, I came to invite you to the trip. I won't be able to stay for dinner; my brother wanted me to help with the preparations for the trip or something like that."

The earls eyebrow twitched. Edward was always plotting ways to keep Elizabeth away from him. Call it being an over protective older brother of his sister; whatever the case it was downright meddlesome. All that trouble preparing, all for nothing, what a waste.

"I'm sorry to hear that, I was so looking forward to entertaining you"

"Really! Ohh Ciel" She threw herself at he betrothed. "Thanks you so much! I'm sorry for all the trouble and I wish I could stay." She pouted. Giving him one last hug, the blonde bounded down the steps just as she came and speed off down the path, returning home. Before the carriage disappeared from sight he could hear her call to him, saying that she'd bring him lots of souvenirs. Ciel felt a small smile tug at his lips as he watched the carriage disappear into the horizon from his window.

"What are you grinning at?"

The boy jumped back from the window, clutching his chest. Hanging perpendicular on the other side of the glass was his butler. "Don't surprise me like that! And what's with that outfit!?" His butler was wearing his trademark teaching spectacles. His trademark black tailcoat was discarded for a white doctors jacket along with his pristine white gloves being traded for black examiners gloves. Around his neck was a stethoscope whose end was neatly tucked in the coats breast pocket along with a pen.

The demon unlatched the window and perched himself on the ledge, crouched down resting on the balls of his feet. "Well as they say, when in Rome do as the Romans do. Moreover I obtained some rather interesting information."

"Is that so?" Ciel took a seat behind his desk. The butler gracefully jumped from his perch and entered the room. "Its about the aforementioned Karnstein Hospital, it seems that the upper-rank doctors, including the director Ryan Stoker, have opened an association called 'The Aurora Society'"

He looked up to gauge his master's reaction, seeing no change he continued on. "According to a nurse who squealed, the Aurora Society holds presentations for the results of their experimentations regularly and collects donations from nobles. The Aurora Society's true face is that of a secret society that consists solely of doctors, who have 'The Complete Salvation of Mankind Through Medicine' as their motto…"

He smirked it this. This was yet again another arrogant attempt of humans trying to overcome their inherent mortality and limitations. "It has been confirmed that the members conduct illegal human experiments within the hospital daily. There was no sign of slaves inside the hospital and there was nothing pertaining to human experiments of the revival of the dead."

Ciel propped his elbows on the desk, resting his chin on his folded hands. "It couldn't get any fishier than this huh?"

Sebastian nodded. "Yes. I'm certain that there is some definite clue to be found in this 'Aurora Society"

The boy idly tapped his index finger on the hard mahogany surface of his desk giving the impression of feigned interest. "When is their next meeting?"

"It is scheduled to be on a passenger ship departing from Southampton port on the 17th of April."

"Hmph, meeting on a ship…sounds like something nobles would.." He paused. That date. "The 17th…?" Where had he heard that date? He started to recall the image of Elizabeth that he saw just a few minutes ago. 'We're having a family trip in April! We'll be traveling to New York on a luxurious passenger ship for three weeks starting the 17th!'

'That was it!' He bolted up from his seat slamming his hands on the desk. "What was the name of the boat!?"

The demon glanced down at the clipboard his hands. "The Blue Star line's luxury ship…"

~/ 3 \~

Sebastian closed the door behind him as he entered his private quarters. He had just finished getting the young master to bed for the night and thought it best to attend to the other resident at the manor.

It humored him when he first started his contract with the boy that he was offered his own private suite, a privilege of being the house butler. It was a moderately large room; dark grayish maroon paisley wallpaper decorated the walls before ending at the ornate white wooden molding. There was a small desk against the wall in one corner of the room, next to it, a large bookcase filled with books; his personal collection.

In the other corner stood a black chaise lounger trimmed in a lovely walnut wood, in front of it was a small circular wooden table, also black walnut. On the other side of the table was chair, matching the longer in style but meant for one to sit in. To the left of the door was a tall dark oak armoire inside of which he occasionally houses a family of cats on rainy days or the winter season.

Lastly in the center of the room, against the western wall was a tall ornate four-poster bed made up of the same dark walnut as the other furniture. The bed had thick black velvet curtains, currently closed. Though he did not require sleep, he still from time to time, when he had the time, he would lie in the bed and feign the activity. Though he would only require an hour or two of sleep to last him a month or two.

And he never had dreams. Demons rarely if ever dream, making sleeping that much more boring and detestable. The demon only slept when he felt his hunger pains overwhelm him.

Sebastian strode over to the armoire and removed his tailcoat and placed it on a hanger and then on the rack. After closing it, he walked over to the bed while bringing his gloved hands to his lips and tugging his gloves off. He reached into his pocket and removed his pocket watch and placed it and the gloves on the bedside table.

Reaching up, he drew away the velvet curtain to reveal the bed. Lying amongst the black satin sheets and white fluffy pillows was the still catatonic witch. When he returned to the manor with the battered witch in tow, he had originally wanted to lay her in her suite, however with that dammed familiar sniffing around he needed to stash her somewhere. After his master had given the familiar free reign of the estate with the exception of the servant's wing he reasoned it the perfect area to hide her.

He thought it best to store her in his room since he could not risk the other servants happening upon her…gammy state. Despite his master's stern condition, the familiar had searched the servant's wing for his mistress during dinner, each room and closet with the exception of the demons room. His scent permeated the room, masking hers and throwing off the familiar, who clearly wanted nothing to do with the demon.

She lay there; the blood and dirt had dried and caked together. Mixed together with the dried caked clumps was the slightly congealed black blood of the shade and a few black feathers staining the sheets. Sebastian sat on the edge to take a moment to take in the sight.

"The tea was nice, this humble butler thanks you for that." He leaned over her and brushed a few caked strands away from the witch's face. His hand slid down her cheek and paused at the wound on her neck, originally the killing blow. Initially the wound was so deep that her trachea could be seen, and felt; now it was just a slightly raw gash. His hands move down to the viscera that had previously been pulled out, only to find that they had fitted themselves back into her chest cavity leaving only irritated red gashes, still deep, but a marked improvement.

The demon could easily sit there all night just to watch the wounds heal themselves, however he had work to do, and she was soiling his sheets. He went back to her neck and a bit further. "I am sorry, I know it's not proper for a gentleman to see a woman exposed without her consent, however…" He unbuttoned the first button. "I am not really a gentleman now am I?"

He carefully finished unbuttoning the blouse and bodice and removed them. Next he moved to removing her skirt leaving her clad only in her torn and bloodied undergarments consisting of a short white chemise, corset, garters, and very short bloomers.

He unhooked the garters that kept her stockings up under her grieves, the armor was a bit clumsy to remove, but the demon managed to take them off without damaging them. Hoisting her up from her armpits he propped her up and untied the laces at the back of her corset. He noted that the corset was rather loosely tied not at all proper for a young lady. After the corset he hooked a finger around the band of the bloomers and pulled them off, lastly he pulled the chemise over her head leaving her completely naked to him.

He sat back to take her in. She was not a thin little thing, but she was not at all overweight. She had a voluptuous fullness to her despite her age she had already possessed the body of a fully matured woman. Full hips, a toned abdomen legs and arms, firm breasts that were a good size, not small or large but enough to even out the fullness of her hips.

With the clothes removed he could clearly see the injuries she sustained unobstructed. And as expected they were sealing themselves up right before his eyes. "You really are something miss witch" He murmured to the unconscious girl as he picked her up bridal style and walked over to the door that stood opposite the bed.

He opened it to reveal a moonlit bathroom. The floor was covered in white tiles and in its center was a large porcelain washbasin, already filled halfway with water. He brought the blonde over to the basin and carefully placed her in, propping her back against the backrest end. After making sure she was stable he went over to the large wooden basin filled with water that had long since gone cold. Placing his hand in the water within seconds the water had heated.

He brought the hot water over to the tub and poured it in till the water was a decent temperature. Rolling up his sleeves he reached for a washcloth and soap and began to clean off the blood, hers and the shades, dirt and grime. Once her body was clean he moved on to her hair. Unbraiding the braids that held her hair back he washed her hair. It was while he was washing her hair he took his time freeing each strand of blood and dirt; most of it caked in on the left side of her head.

As he massaged her scalp he heard something. Though faint, he knew he heard it, he heard a soft moan escape the blonde's lips. He peered at her face to find her eyes partially opened; the purple irises were hazy and muddled meaning she hadn't fully regained consciousness. He went back to washing her hair and then rinsing it. Once she was completely clean he drained the water and pulled her out of the basin, wrapping her in a towel and bringing her back to the bedroom.

While he walked to the bed he could feel the blonde in his arms shivering from the cold and snuggling closer to the warmth that his chest provided all the while soft sighs and moans passing through her lips. She was growing more cognizant of her surroundings, meaning she was to awake soon.

He pulled away the soiled sheets and placed her on the clean under sheets. He went to the laundry to quickly clean the top blanket and fetch the witch a nightgown to sleep in. With in a minute of two he had returned with the clean linens in one hand and a gown and undergarments in the other. He placed the blanket at the foot of the bed and went to Allis. He dressed her in her undergarments and was about to put her in her night-dress her when something caught his eye.

All the wounds she had by this point had almost healed, leaving slightly raw pink patches of flesh. It would appear that the more conscious she grew, the faster the wounds would heal. However it was not those ones that drew him to stare, it was the other scars. Scattered about her body were several jagged scars that though in different areas all had the same style of edges, as though made from the same blade. There were twelve in all, eight on her torso and one on each limb.

Out of curiosity the demon turned her over, and as he suspected the wounds were in the exact same spot.

"Curiouser and curiouser miss Allis, I wonder what adventures brought you these little bites." He ran his fingers over one of the marks that rested on her collarbone. "To have been pierced so many times must have been painful. Excruciating no doubt?"

"Mmmm-mph"

The girl was stirring her eyes were moving about lazily as she tried to speak. Her breathing had been shallow to almost non-existent till now and it mildly shocked the demon when her body bolted up with a sharp intake of air. Her throat creaked and groaned akin to an old woman would in her final throws of life before throwing her head back releasing another loud croak.

Her eyes no longer hazed over started to nervously dart about taking in her surroundings before resting on the butlers eyes that held her. Her eyes widened in panic as she tried to push herself out of the demons arms. Her struggles barely phased the demon as she had only just regained consciousness.

"Th..th-shhh" She tried her best to form words but her throat was so very dry causing the only a few hushed syllables and hoarse croaks. The butler sensed this and went to the bathroom and returned with a glass and pitcher of cool water. Pouring a cup a cup he handed it to her only for it to slip from her hands. Swiftly catching it her held it to her lips. She closed them tight, she was not a child and she was not going to be further humiliated by being handled like an infant.

The butler pursed his lips and chided the witch. "Now, now, you have been in a state of rigor mortis for a bit so naturally your muscles have partially atrophied." Her eyes widened at the mention of her death, there was a hint of fear in them.

He knew.

He knew her secret. She stiffened. What was he going to say? Did Ciel already know? What would he say? Would they refuse her deal? Would she be sent back? She started to panic, her nervousness growing more apparent to the demon. "I take it that even where you are from people such as yourself are not possible to exist?"

She met the demons gaze; he had that look of knowing and mischievous amusement at her situation. Those eyes, blood red eyes. Such a…peculiar color, she had seen red eyes before but his were different. Not only in color but their intent fixed gaze. She felt bare before him; his eyes stripping away her layers, her virtues, her secrets, all exposed before him. Despite the fact that she could hardly move; the longer she stared into those eyes she felt herself he drawn into their crimson depths.

Deeper and deeper she felt as though the waves of red were getting closer and closer to her; the closer they got, the more her raison deteriorated. She was drowning; she was drowning in them; if she does not pull away now they will consume her.

He will consume her.

It was the strange sensation she felt on her lips that brought her back. The demon's face had indeed moved closer, but that was because he was kissing her. Her eyes widened in shock, how did she not notice? At first the demon was gentle, the kiss soft and light but he quickly deepened it. The blond was at a loss, this was her first kiss, she did not know how to go about the act, nor did she know how to react when she felt the demons tongue brush against her lower lip.

On reflex she hesitantly parted her lips and allowed the demon access, which he wasted no time in using. His tongue moved past her lips and explored the unclaimed territory of the witch's virgin mouth. Though slightly dry, demon opened his mouth wider as he started to pass the water held in his mouth into the blondes before pulling away to allow the blonde to breathe and swallow, his hands still clutched her chin.

Allis hesitated when she felt the liquid touch her tongue, upon realizing it was ordinary water she deemed it safe to swallow although the act that got it in her mouth did not help diminish the fiery hot blush that spread across her freckled cheeks. "There, that's right. Now here is some more." He took in another sip of water and pressed his lips to the blonde's, this time there was no hesitation when he requested access to her mouth, exploring and caressing before passing another mouthful of water to her.

He continued the process of taking in the water and passing it to her; each kiss lasting longer than the last and increasing in intensity. It was not long before Sebastian no longer took in any water yet continued to kiss her. He felt himself being drawn into the kiss, it felt familiar; perhaps it reminded him of the nurse he had earlier in the day. But the taste…her mouth had this taste to it. It tasted like the tea she gave him, but different. It had the same feel, but there was something new to this taste. It was not the taste of a sweet memory, no; it was the taste of wanting. The taste of wanting from someone who has never wanted before, not in this manner

Allis felt very light, she felt like she was floating. Like she no longer had a body, and if it were not for the lips on hers, and the tongue that danced with hers, she would have lost all sense of the physical realm. Her mind was fuzzy, she couldn't focus or think straight, and she felt unbearably hot. She was only in her undergarments, but her body felt like it was on fire. She wanted to remove the obstructing garments; she wanted to do anything to relieve this fire that seemed to burn her from the inside.

With every kiss she felt that fire pool within her, her mind getting hazier. Sebastian pushed her so that she fell onto the bed with him towering over her, his hands on either side of her head. He loosened his tie and unbuttoned a few of his buttons. She lay under him, her cheeks flushed, her eyes clouded with wanton, her body was hot and he could see a thin layer of sweat forming on her face.

How was this possible? How was he able to make her feel this way? It felt…so nice. She wanted more, more of that fuzzy tingling feeling she felt in her stomach, specifically between her legs.

No! This is wrong! What would Father Dunley think if he saw her now, mewling like a common whore, with a demon no less? She felt the salty sting of tears prickle her eyes, realizing her folly.

Gathering her wits about her she pushed herself away from him, weakly trying to crawl away from the aroused demon. She fell off the bed with a loud thud bringing the sheets around her to cover herself; feeling exposed. As she began to regain her senses, she felt more tears spill over as she quickly bolted to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She slid down the door balling herself up in the sheet and quietly sobbed.

How could she have allowed herself to end up in this situation? How could she have permitted him to do those vulgar acts upon her? She should have known, she should have. She was always told to be wary of demons; yet he appeared so gentlemanly, so polite.

But he was still a demon.

He brought out those feelings, dirty shameful feelings; a second more and she would have gladly gave herself over to him. But something in her told her to get away. It was a powerful force that briefly cleared her mind long enough to separate herself from the demon.

Shakily she brought her fingers up to her lips. Even now she can just faintly feel the fiery sensation of his lips lingering. Her first kiss, well kisses. And she shared them with a demon, which she only just met, and is in employ to her noblesse.

"Oh Gigi…I should have listened to you!" She sobbed.

"Are you going to lay there all night?"

Allis shot up when she heard the demons voice on the other side of the door. Fear crept into her heart. Was he going to break down the door and force her to continue?

"Please come out."

She clutched the blankets tighter around her. The nerve of him! He had just practically violated her and he wanted her to go back in there, with him? Granted there was no penetration, and she somewhat…no HE was the one that took advantage. He was older, he should know better.

'Just go away! Leave…please' She chanted to herself in her head praying the demon would leave her be for the night.

~/ 3 \~

Sebastian waited for Allis to answer him, but all he got was silence. He could not lie and say he was not perturbed. He was never one to outwardly brag, but he was seldom if ever turned down, and he did not like having things he can't have be dangled in front of him. He had already re-buttoned his shirt and was standing before the bathroom door holding the gown he had meant to dress the disagreeable girl in.

He prodded again, "Allis…please. I have a nightgown for you to wear. I know my behavior was…much less that of a gentleman, however you were being quite disagreeable and I had to see that you got water" Still no answer.

"Look, although I cant promise anything, if you just let me assist you, I won't have to use such _drastic_ measures." Though it may not matter what he said at that point, he still needed to convince the witch to come out.

After a few minutes passed the door to the bathroom slowly creaked open, the blonde was shielding herself behind the door, gauging the demons reaction. Deciding whether or not to come out.

"Can I have it?" She asked.

Sebastian complied and handed her the folded garment to her. She retreated back into bathroom for a few minutes before coming back out dressed in the gown. This one was a peach long empire waist dress the reached the floor with loose bell sleeves that ended just after her elbows. White lace trimmed the 'v' neckline.

"I'm glad it fits"

She quietly nodded, her eyes glued to the ground. "Thank you" She was avoiding any eye contact with the demon, scared the mere act of looking at them would seduce her again. They both stood there as an uncomfortable silence settled between them broken when the demon asked if the witch would like some tea. Excusing himself, the demon left to prepare the tea.

Allis sat on the lounger as she waited. It puzzled her how just twenty or so minutes ago she had shared a passionate and tender moment with the demon, now she felt angered and disgusted, fearful, yet here she sat waiting for the demon to bring her tea. Perhaps it was because he was a demon, or maybe because he is devilishly handsome. Whatever the case the blonde could not bring herself to hate the demon, she was still angry. Not really angry, more embarrassed.

Allis was not a witch who could comprehend the difficult and foreign battlefield of emotions, particularly ones pertaining to love and affection. Thinking back on it she was still young, but there were girls back home that had already had steady boyfriends and many conversations about passionate late night trysts. Though she never personally participated in these conversations; it did make her feel left out. It was no longer expected that a woman remain chaste till her marriage, save for a few noble families that stood fast to tradition; but Allis never could push herself into talking with boys. Maybe it was her brief upbringing in a noble house, or her shyness, she never felt inclined to see anything of interest outside of friendship with the opposite sex.

But now she could understand why they spoke of it so. That feeling, hot and fiery, tingling as though one had been stuck with a wyrm's fire and a drake's thunder at the same time. And a need, oh a powerful need. That feeling could drive any sane person mad, any virtuous person into a reprobate.

'_That does not excuse my behavior! I am a knight, the chevalier of Hamilton, I cannot allow myself to be distracted by these troublesome urges. I have a task and that is the priority, I fear the Gods are testing me.'_

After a few more minutes Sebastian returned with a small cart carrying everything he would need for tea. He set it to the side of the table placing two teacups and a small plate of leftover beignets before pouring the tea.

"I made some chamomile tea to relax you and brought some of the leftover beignets, a treat common in New Orleans French quarter in America" He set the teapot back on the cart and sat in the chair opposite Allis.

"So, out of curiosity how many times have you 'died'?" he casually asked.

Allis stiffened. He said it so nonchalant. "Well…I guess this is the third, maybe fourth time. I try my best to not let it happen too often if I can help it."

"Do you know why it is that you can't die?" he asked as he took a small sip of tea ignoring the smoky taste as best he could.

"No." She looked down into her tea, staring at the morose expression that stared back at her. "I" She paused. "I don't understand it. Even back then I was the only one who lived. I don't know why it is that I can't die; even in magic there is no spell in existence to bring back the dead. You can animate their corpses, but their souls will never return." She felt her already sore and puffy eyes start to water.

"Maybe you are a demon? But then again I don't sense a demons soul in you so I'm just as much at a loss as you."

"A demon?"

"A possibility but like a said, your soul is too…different to be a demons."

"Does Ciel know?" her voice faltered slightly.

He shook his head. "No, only I. I made sure no one saw you when I brought you back. Why do you wish for them not to know?"

"In Magaea necromancy is forbidden, though its not the result of necromancy they would want to know what it is that makes me immortal, and test its limits. So the less that know, the better."

So she wanted this kept a secret? He could use this to his advantage. The demon felt the gears of a plan turn in his head. Perhaps all is not lost. "I'm afraid I will have to tell my master if he asks as it is apart of our contract that I cannot lie to him"

She froze. "However" He started. "I can try my best to keep him finding out, in exchange for something of course after all…nothing is ever free"

What did he want? Did he want her body, or her soul? "What are the conditions?"

"Simple. Every other night I want you to report to my room and have tea with me. While in my room you are subject to my wishes, within reason of course"

"You want me to have tea with you?" Why would he want that?

"Not just tea, I want that special tea you made for me, and a bit of company to entertain me seeing as my profession can leave one quite…hungry. Though I still will only be fully sated with my current masters soul, the tea does make a nice snack now and then."

"I don't know…" Allis' voice held some concern. Was it wise to strike a deal with someone, well something that was know for making fairly one-sided deals. "I feel that this is somewhat a deal that you gain more than you are offering"

Sebastian smirked, sharp girl. "Fine. Then I will also make it that my master goes into a deal with you, provided that you can assure me that it will not interfere with my contract."

The demon had her attention when he mentioned her deal. '_Was it possible for him to sway Ciel's mind, to make him acknowledge me?_' she wondered_._ She weighed the pros and cons in her head, but reasoned she would have a better chance of getting Ciel to become her Noblesse if she took the deal, than if she didn't.

"Are the terms agreeable to you?"

The blonde took a moment before nervously licking her lips. "I suppose. But how are we to make sure the other holds up their end of the bargain?"

His grin widened. "You can enter into a partial contract with me."

"Partial contract?"

"It's not as binding as a full one, meaning I do not consume your soul, but it does bind those who take it to the terms stated when created. If that should relieve your distrust of me."

He was starting to think she would back out but to his surprise she nodded. "Alright." Sebastian smiled again as his eyes started to glow. "Let us begin." He walked over to the bed gesturing for Allis to follow him. "Please, lay down."

She hesitated. "Why should I?"

"I am to place my seal upon you to consummate our pact an as such it can be an incredibly painful process. I would want to at least offer you some comfort, comfort I sadly could not offer to my young master."

His seal? He was going to mark her; she was to be bound by his thorns along with his master. This was beginning to weigh on her, the reality of her choice. She could still back out; try her best at gaining recognition on her own. But what of her secret, Sebastian would no doubt have to tell his master sooner or later, in turn he would inform the Queen, and eventually it would get back to Magaea. It was already difficult as it was to get her way back into the court's favor as a 'fallen noble', though her position was at the absolute bottom, it was something at least; how was she to reclaim the former glory of house Hamilton if word of her 'ailment' got out?

She closed her eyes for a moment to quell her doubt that was forming a knot in her stomach. '_No! I must do this. I have to do whatever it takes, I have to be acknowledged by Ciel, only then will I be able to become a member of the Royal Hunt and secure some footing in the court.' _She reminded herself that the regalia and signet of house Hamilton was on the line.

Opening her eyes she cast a sideways glance at the demon before crawling onto the bed where he had her pinned earlier and lay on her back, her eyes starring at the canopy above. She felt the bed dip as the butler crawled over to her straddling her hips. His left hand came down to caress her forehead. She tensed as she felt his cold hand touch her; she swallowed a large lump in her throat as she tried to still the beating of her racing heart. Why did she end up like this again with him? It was not even an hour since their heated moment and she was back with him on top of her, at his mercy.

"Where to place it?" The demon pondered out loud.

"Does it really matter?" He could sense her fear. '_Delicious_'

"Yes it does. It will determine the strength of the bond. The more precious the body part…" His hand moved to rest just to the right of her sternum. "The tighter the leash" He pulled open the collar of the gown to expose her right shoulder and upper chest. She blushed at the sudden exposure; thankful he had spared exposing her breast. She watched as he brought his left index finger up to extend the nail into a long black talon that looked very sharp.

He brought the talon down pausing to gauge the witch's reaction. His glowing fuchsia eyes locked with her nervous violet. "Ready?" He didn't bother waiting for her response as he started to drag his sharp talon across her flesh taking his time to carve the mark into her enjoying every grunt and whimper she allowed to escape her tightly clenched lips.

To say it hurt was an understatement. It was far worse than any wound inflicted on her in any of her deaths, or in battle. Was this perhaps something that demons could only do, create this level of pain with just their claws? It felt like he was carving far deeper than just the first layer of skin, no it felt like he was etching this mark directly on her very soul, his claws tainting it, marring it to his desires.

Though it was only a ten or so minutes, it felt like hours to the blonde. Her knuckles were white from how hard she was fisting the sheets, but she had no choice it was either that or bite off her tongue. At first she thought it was her imagination, but the mercilessly slow movements of every stroke and the gleam in his eyes she was now sure that Sebastian was trying to drag out this torture for as long as he could. She tried her best to distract herself from the pain, looking around the room, counting; nothing worked. Every time her eyes would betray her and wander back to the glowing irises that shone in the dark, the candle on the table had long since gone out leaving the room in darkness save for the line of moonlight that fond its way through the crack of the curtains.

The eyes were focused on the engraving, but after some moments they shifted to stare right back at her, and never broke contact for the remainder of the ritual. They frightened her, but they also reminded her of something.

No matter how handsome or human like her looked, he was only wearing a sheep's skin. A skin that hid his true wolf form; a thin film was all that hid the hellish reality of his true form leaving only these eyes as proof of what he truly was; eyes with an unfathomable hunger.

'_The eyes of a voracious eater_.'

Sebastian pulled his claw away to admire his handiwork. Just under her collarbone she now bear his contract mark, her wanted to be sure that it would scar and give him some time to activate it before she would regenerate so he made certain to carve it in very deep, deep enough to match the pitted skin on his left hand. It was bleeding heavily, pooling in the indentations. Leaning down he took a curious lick.

'_Absolutely divine' _Her memories of the pain had spilled into her blood giving it a rich savory flavor. He lapped up the rest of the blood hungrily before placing his left hand over the mark aligning it with his own.

"Brace yourself, this is going to hurt just a little bit."

He of course was lying; when he activated the seal he watched her writhe and cry out in pain beneath him. He quickly covered her mouth muffling her as he pressed on burning the flesh, cauterizing it. By the time he was done the blonde was red partially from suffocation and her eyes were puffy from all the tears.

"You lied" She stammered.

"I never lied. But I do suppose to me this would only hurt a little~"

She never got a chance to reply, the pain was too great all she could do was welcome the reprieve that the darkness gave her, her mind clouded by those glowing eyes.

'_What…have I done?'_

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Sorry for the super long wait (if anyone was waiting for this, which I doubt). I had to re write this chapter several times since I had changed it from the original draft. The first half was largely unchanged; it was the second half that was tricky. I wanted to play with a much darker Sebastian that was a bit more sinister.

The dispute between my beta and I was whether or not Sebastian would take advantage of Allis in this situation so I had written it, but then I felt that it was way too soon for that to happen, and to me, he would drag that out, little by little till it was not 'really' forced, dubcon at best though. Also I feel if you're gonna write about rape, really write about it, don't cop out and turn it into that hentai bullshit that sexualizes it. Write about the trauma, the psychological scaring, the coping, and healing if that even happens at all. So pretty much commit, or don't bother.

And I felt at this point something like that would just trivialize it. We don't know Allis yet (the reader does not) so there is no emotional connection there to make it see poignant. And nothing is worse than rape for the sake of plot.

I also was struggling with how long it would take for Ciel to agree to Allis' deal, I feel if he were given the time to weigh it, he would not have made a contract with Sebastian so hastily, so naturally he would take his time to consider the outcome of such a deal.

But enough writer talk. Did any see the first two episodes of the Book of Circus!? I mean wow, just WOW. The opening and ending themes alone along with the pv's, A-1 sure upped the animation quality by like over 9000!

Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and bear with me. It's a slow build, but the fun part is coming!


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